LIBRARY 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

SANTA  BARBARA 


PRESENTED  BY 

Mrs.    MacKinley  Helm 


'Wu 


THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE 
AND  HER  SON 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2007  witii  funding  from 

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littp://www.arcliive.org/details/empresseugenielieOOIeggiala 


Thk  Kmprkss  Eur.KNiE.  By  Caki-kaux.  This  hi;ai>  was 
soli)  in  i'aris,  with  ai.l.  thk  othkr  works  ok  thk  cki.k- 
bratei)  scui-I'tor,  in  1914.  Thk  Kmprkss  rki.ictanti.v 
posKD  for  this  portrait.     Carpkaux  was  so  vexki)  with 

HER    KAINT    PRAISK    OK    HIS    WORK    THAT    HE    THREW    IT    INTO 

A    CORNER    OK    HIS    STUOIO,    KROM    WHICH    ONK    OK    HIS    ITPll.S 

RECOVERED    IT    LONG    AITKR WARDS 


THE 

EMPRESS  EUGfiNIE 
AND  HER  SON 


BY 


EDWARD   LEGGE 

AUTHOR   OF 
"KING  EDWARD  IN  HIS  TRUE  COLOURS' 


^ 


WITH    TWENTY-SIX    ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW  YORK 
DODD,   MEAD   AND   COMPANY 

191  6 


MINTED    IN   GREAT   .RITAIN   BV   THE    RIVERSIDE   PRESS   LIMITED 
BOINBURGH 


PREFACE 

"  History  has  only  learned  of  late  to  dispel  the  mists 
both  of  glamour  and  of  prejudice,  and  to  study  in 
the  true  mood  of  human  sympathy  and  impartial 
insight  the  amazing  years  of  the  Second  Empire."  * 

Prosper  Merimee,  the  intimate  friend  of  the 
Empress  Eugenie,  her  sister  and  their  mother, 
the  Comtesse  de  Montijo,  said  the  only  things  in 
histories  which  interested  him  were  the  anecdotes. 
This  being  so,  Merimee,  who,  I  suppose,  "  the 
skilled  gentry  of  the  "  Times  "  Literary  Supple- 
ment permitting,  may  be  termed  a  French  classic, 
might  possibly  have  smiled  a  qualified  approval  of 
the  twelve  hundred  pages  which  I  have  now 
devoted  to  the  Empress,  Napoleon  III.,  the  Prince 
Imperial  ("  Napoleon  IV.")  and  many  of  the  most 
prominent  personages  and  events  of  the  Second 
Empire  and  after. 

I  have  not  attempted  to  pen  cut-and-dried 
"  biographies."  Such  things  are  to  be  found  m 
bulky  tomes  containing  amazing  views  of  Emperors 
and  Empresses — and  Kings.  (By  "  biographies  " 
I  do  not,  needless  to  say,  mean  "  lives  "  such  as 
those  by  Lord  Fitzmaurice  of  Lord  Granville,  by 
Lord  Morley  of  Mr  Gladstone,  and  by  Sir  Edward 
Cook  of  "  Delane  of  the  '  Times  '  " — all  brilliant 
and  accurate,  unsurpassable.)  To  write  ordinary 
biographies  is  as  easy  as  planting  cabbages,  and  less 
useful. 

But  while  I  have  studiously  eschewed  the  common- 
place, unattractive  biographical  method — dates  follow- 

*"  Daily  Telegraph,"  one  of  the  few  English  papers  which 
has  always  dealt  fairly  with  the  Napoleonic  regime  and 
remains  consistently  sympathetic  with  the  Empress. 

5 


6  PREFACE 

ing  each  other  in  chronological  precision,  from 
the  subject's  birth  to  death — I  have  essayed  to 
present  all  the  obtainable  episodes  which  marked 
the  careers  of  my  characters.  My  method  was  not 
inaptly  described  by  the  "  Times  "  reviewer  of  "  The 
Comedy  and  Tragedy  of  the  Second  Empire  " 
(September  14,  191 1):  "  Mr  Legge,  who  published 
'  The  Empress  Eugenie  :  1870 — 1910/  and  who  has 
an  expansive  literary  manner,  has  ransacked  for 
piquant  detail  all  the  chief  sources  of  information 
(he  even  quotes  from  M.  Ollivier's  latest  volume), 
and  quotes  the  original  documents — telegrams 
between  the  Emperor  and  Empress  during  the  first 
weeks  of  the  war — with  much  effect."  The  amiable 
reviewer  might  have  added  that  I  was  an  eye- 
witness of  many  of  the  events  described  in  my 
previous  volumes.  This  may  also  be  said  of  the 
present  work.  I  prefer  writing  of  people  and 
things,  "  seen  with  my  eyes  "  to  writing  about  what 
I  have  "  heard  with  my  ears."  What  I  see  I  can 
narrate  accurately.  What  I  hear  depends  for  its 
value  upon  the  truthfulness  of  my  informants. 
I  have  never  had  the  slightest  cause  of  complaint 
on  this  score.  From  all  alike  I  have  received 
invaluable  assistance. 

From  the  beginning  of  this  trilogy  down  to  its 
completion  in  January-February,  19 16,  I  have 
had  the  most  liberal  and  valued  assistance  of  many 
who  are  justly  entitled  authorities;  others  have 
given  me  their  encouragement  and  countenance. 
Among  them  was  the  late  M.  Emile  Ollivier, 
whose  final  volumes  of  "  L'Empire  Liberal  "  * 
I  have  now  analysed  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
some  at  least  of  the  readers  of  these  pages  information 

*  The  last  of  the  series  was  issued  in  August,  1915,  and  the 
first  review  of  it  in  this  country  was  written  by  me  for  the 
"  Pall  Mall  Gazette "  before  copies  of  the  work  were 
obtainable  in  London. 


PREFACE  7 

which  will  enable  them  to  realise  more  completely 
than  they  have  perhaps  hitherto  done  the  facts 
concerning  the  two  foremost  personages  in  the 
narrative. 

To  M.  Lucien  Alphonse  Daudet  I  am  particularly 
indebted  for  permission  to  present  what  is  certainly 
the  most  perfect,  as  it  is  the  most  charming  and 
faithful,  portrait  of  the  Empress  hitherto  given  to 
the  world.  This  minute  psychological  study  will 
be,  I  think,  regarded  by  competent  judges  as  a 
gem  of  literature.  It  could  not  have  been  achieved 
by  anyone  else  for  the  simple  reason  that,  as  a 
protege  of  her  Imperial  Majesty,  M.  Daudet  has 
had  for  many  years  exceptional  facilities  for 
accomplishing  his  task  both  at  Farnborough  Hill 
and  Cap  Martin  (Villa  Cyrnos,  which  the  Empress 
has  not  seen  since  the  summer  preceding  the  war). 
Moreover,  as  a  Frenchman  he  has  gifts  of  style  and 
expression  in  this  branch  of  literature  which  have 
been  denied  to  most  writers  of  other  nationalities, 
those  of  Italy  excepted.  Among  our  own  living 
authors  I  think  he  is  most  nearly  approached  by 
Mr  Filson  Young.  Friends  of  the  Empress  (and 
of  M.  Daudet)  whose  acquaintance  I  have  been 
privileged  to  make  have  been  not  unfriendly  to 
me — far  from  it.  Of  such  was  the  late  Mme  de 
Arcos,  one  of  the  two  best-loved  friends  of  the 
Empress,  the  other  being  her  sister,  Mrs  Vaughan, 
whose  daughter,  Miss  Vaughan,  has  long  been  one 
of  her  Majesty's  companions  and  favourities. 

In  justice  to  M.  Daudet  I  wish  to  make  it  quite 
clear  that  he  is  not  responsible  (so  to  put  it)  for  a 
single  line  or  word  in  this  volume  other  than  the 
pages  from  his  own  pen.  He  did  not  know  what  I 
was  going  to  write  and  have  written  and  quoted 
from  M.  Ollivier's  works  and  those  of  other  and 
lesser  authors;  nor  will  he  know  until  he  sees 
this   volume.     I    think   it   quite   possible   that    Mme 


8  PREFACE 

de  Arcos,  in  her  kindly,  benevolent  way,  may  have 
hinted  to  him  that  I  had  maintained  a  sympathetic 
attitude  towards  her  Majesty.  But  there  is  a  gulf 
between  sympathy  and  servility.  And  above  all 
else  I  had  to  write  impartially  and  conscientiously 
according  to  my  lights.  This  a  "  hired  "  author, 
or  one  upon  whom  pressure  had  been  put,  could 
not  have  done.  That  devoted  friend  of  Napoleon 
III.,  Lord  Glenesk,  did  not  hesitate  (when  Mr 
Algernon  Borthwick)  to  criticise  the  Empress  and 
some  of  those  who  surrounded  her  at  Chislehurst  in 
1 87 1  when  the  Emperor  was  at  Wilhelmshohe,  and 
on  occasion  I  also  have  spoken  my  mind. 

In  introducing  M.  Daudet  to  that  large  circle 
of  readers  whose  favour  I  have  enjoyed  through 
my  Second  Empire,  King  Edward,  and  Kaiser 
books,  I  should  like  to  reinforce  my  expressed  view 
of  his  charm  and  gift  of  personal  analysis  by 
citing  a  few  lines  from  a  review  of  his  "  LTmperatrice 
Eugenie  "  in  the  "  Times  "  Literary  Supplement. 
Speaking  of  his  "  portrait  (or  at  least  a  sketch  from 
life)  of  one  of  the  most  enigmatic  of  historical 
personages  "  the  writer  said :  "  We  all  know  the 
Empress  of  modern  legend  :  frivolous  and  dangerous, 
loveliest  of  women,  high-spirited,  irreductible,  *  more 
clerical  than  the  Pope — the  Empress  on  whose 
slim  shoulders  the  Republicans  laid  all  the  weight 
of  the  war — '  Ma  guerre  a  moi.'  ...  In  M.  Daudet's 
likeness  there  is  just  enough  of  these  lineaments 
for  us  to  understand  all  the  cruelty  of  the  democratic 
caricature ;  as  Perseus  looked  at  the  image  of 
Medusa  in  a  fountain,  let  us  consider  the  redoubt- 
able Sphinx  of  modern  France  as  she  is  mirrored  in 

*  Irreductible :  that  cannot  be  reduced.  Vide  Tarver's 
Royal  Phraseological  English-French,  French-English  Diction- 
ary (Dulau  &  Co.).  The  word  is  not  given  in  the  Concise 
Oxford  Dictionary  of  Current  English,  adapted  from  the 
Oxford  Dictionary,  edition  191 1, 


PREFACE  9 

the  consciousness  of  a  young  novelist,  prepared 
to  understand  her  by  character,  heredity  and  circum- 
stance. .  .  .  Like  the  Empress  of  Austria,  she 
might  say  :  '  Nous  ne  marchons  pas  comme  doivent 
marcher  les  Reines.  Les  Bourbons,  qui  presque 
jamais  ne  sont  sortis  a  pied,  ont  pris  une  allure 
speciale — celle  d'oies  majestueuses.'  There  was 
nothing  of  the  majestic  goose  in  either  of  these 
intrepid,  solitary  and  courageous  Empresses — they 
were  eagles  rather,  the  eagles  of  their  empires — 
eagles  or  swans.  In  both  of  them  the  final  note  is 
a  solitary  self-sufficiency,  a  secret  source  of  courage, 
sufficient  to  all  the  hard  trials  of  their  existence." 

It  will  assist  the  readers  of  my  pages  to  form  a 
just  estimate  of  the  Empress  if  I  quote  a  few 
other  lines  from  the  "  Times  "  appreciation  of 
M.  Daudet's  "  portrait  (or  at  least  a  sketch  from 
life),"  for  the  article  is  a  masterly  one  throughout. 
"  The  Empress  of  the  French  [the  title  sounds  oddly 
in  1916]  is  a  woman  of  the  keenest  positive 
intelligence  and  rare  political  capacity."  This  much 
I  claimed  for  her  after  reading  a  long  letter 
which  she  wrote  to  one  of  her  oldest  and  dearest 
woman  friends  on  the  day  after  King  Edward's 
death — a  letter  in  which  she  dwelt  in  statesmanlike 
fashion  upon  the  possible  European  results  of 
that  calamity. 

She  has  a  feeling  not  uncommon  in  the  Stoics  (nor  in  the 
least  contrary  to  their  doctrine)  for  certain  personal  advantages 
often  conducive  to  morality,  or  at  least  conformable  to  the 
ideal  of  human  nature — such  as  beauty,  health,  strength, 
wealth,  honour,  breeding,  high  connexions,  which  increase 
the  usefulness  and  influence  of  those  who  possess  them. 
She  is  full  of  experience  and  often  formulates,  with  singular 
eloquence,  the  result  of  her  observations ;  but  these  axioms 
and  views,  however  original,  have  something  precise  and 
individual — "  I'lmp^ratrice  n'aime  que  les  certitudes  et  la 
lumi^re."  [This  is  an  extract  from  M.  Daudet's  "portrait."] 
Beautiful,    witty    and    wise,    just    sufficiently    capricious    still 


lo  PREFACE 

to  enchain  the  attention  of  her  courtiers,  she  has  kept  in 
her  old  age  and  after  all  her  sorrows  a  freshness  of  sentiment, 
a  keenness  in  simple  pleasures,  which  endear  her  to  the 
young-.  Yet  behind  this  agreeable  surface  the  depth  is  an 
entire  renunciation,  with  never  a  reminiscence,  with  never 
a  complaint.  Voluntarily  anonymous  henceforth,  the  mistress 
of  the  Tuileries  lives  these  many  years  in  a  Hampshire 
manor  which  bears  on  its  stone  frontage  neither  the  bees 
nor  the  eagle  of  Imperial  France,  but  the  blazon  of  a  London 
publisher.  *  Unmoved  she  stays  in  Paris  in  one  of  those 
cosmopolitan  hotels  whose  balconies  look  out  on  the  gardens 
where  she  used  to  reign  and  where  the  Prince  Imperial  had 
his  playground. 

Nearly  thirty-seven  years  have  elapsed  since  the 
Zulus'  assegais  robbed  the  Empress  of  her  son. 
After  the  tragedy  French  authors  and  journalists 
began  a  new  campaign  against  the  mother,  based 
upon  statements  purporting  to  have  been  made  by 
various  persons,  admirers  of  the  Prince  Imperial, 
but  hostile  to  the  Empress,  who  was  alleged  to  have 
made  the  young  man's  life  at  Chislehurst  unbear- 
able. Hence  his  departure  for  Zululand.  All  these 
malevolent  assertions  and  innuendoes  have  naturally 
deeply  grieved  the  Empress,  and  I  am  glad  of 
the  opportunity  which  has  been  given  to  me  to 
refute  them  en  bloc.  No  exculpation  of  the 
Empress  could  be  more  complete.  I  present  it  as  a 
souvenir  of  the  boy  of  fourteen  whose  "  baptism 
of  fire  on  the  heights  overlooking  Saarbriicken  I 
witnessed  forty-four  years  before  the  second  invasion 
of  France  by  the  fiendish  Huns  in  19 14;  while 
a  month  after  the  "  baptism  "  I  was  a  spectator 
of  the  crowning  French  disaster  at  Sedan  and  a 
participant  in  the  conquerors'  march  upon  that  Paris 
which  for  nearly  six  months  so  heroically  defied 
the  besieging  hosts. 

The  collection  of  Cardinal  Bonaparte's  letters 
relating   to    Napoleon    HI.,    the    Empress    and    the 

*  The  reference  is  to  the  late  Mr  Thomas  Longman. 


PREFACE  II 

Prince  Imperial  is,  I  submit,  a  primeur  of  value. 
This  hieroglyphical  correspondence  was  translated 
for  me  by  my  esteemed  young  friend,  Father 
Gougaud,  O.S.B.,  of  St  Michael's  Abbey,  Farn- 
borough.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  called 
to  the  colours  in  19 14,  was  taken  prisoner  in  the 
battle  of  Maubeuge,  after  a  few  weeks'  service, 
and  in  February,  19 16,  was  still  a  captive.  Another 
of  the  Benedictines  is  a  prisoner  at  Stuttgart,  three 
have  been  and  are  doing  infirmary  work,  one  is 
in  the  trenches,  one  has  been  missing  from  April, 
19 1 5,  and  one  (of  Italian  birth)  is  a  chaplain 
with  the  Italian  forces.  Brother  Emile  Moreau 
(whom  most  visitors  to  St  Michael's  Abbey  will 
remember  at  the  lodge,  at  which  picture  post  cards, 
photographs,  etc.,  are  obtainable)  has  two  nephews, 
eight  cousins  and  several  friends  all  on  active  service 
with  the  French  armies. 

As  St  Michael's  Abbey  Church  was  the  Empress's 
free  gift  to  the  Benedictines,  it  is  no  more  than 
their  due  to  record  here  their  patriotism.  At  "  Farn- 
borough  Court,"  their  property,  they  began  war 
relief  work  on  October  16,  19 14;,  when  they  took 
charge  of  twenty-five  wounded  Belgians,  tending 
them  until  they  were  cured.  Since  then  there  have 
been  regularly  occupied  by  British  wounded  or 
ailing  thirty-five,  forty,  or  fifty  beds.  This  good  work, 
of  which  hitherto  no  public  mention  has  been 
made,  is  under  the  personal  surveillance  and  direction 
of  the  revered  Lord  Abbot,  the  Very  Rev.  Dom 
Cabrol,  whose  erudition  is  known  to  Benedictines 
all  over  the  world,  and  particularly  in  England, 
France  and  Italy.  This  Benedictine  foundation 
is  not  now  dependent  in  any  way  upon  the  Imperial 
donor  of  the  extensive  property;  it  supports  itself, 
with  the  aid  of  any  donations  it  may  receive 
voluntarily. 

The    Imperial    chronicle    of    every-day    events    is 


12  PREFACE 

continued,  in  a  composite  chapter,  from  1910-1911  to 
the  beginning  of  February,  19 16. 

The  late  M.  Emile  OUivier,  who  was  President 
of  the  Council  when  France  declared  war  with 
Prussia  in  1870,  was  not  much  beholden  to  English 
writers,  some  of  whom  have  regarded  him  as  a  target 
for  their  barbed  shafts.  His  own  countrymen  made 
the  author  of  "  L'Empire  Liberal,"  the  Emperor, 
the  Empress  and  Marshal  Bazaine  scapegoats, 
and  in  France  and  England  he  has  been  held 
up  to  ridicule  as  the  man  who  declared  that  he 
entered  upon  the  war  "  with  a  light  heart,"  his 
qualifying  words  being  "burked."  In  many  parts  of 
Ollivier's  gigantic  work  the  Empress  is  a  prominent 
figure.  The  final  volume  appeared  in  the  autumn 
of  19 1 5,  and  of  that  and  its  predecessor  I  have  given 
some  account  and  a  friendly  letter  (one  of  several) 
which  I  received  from  M.  Ollivier  in  reference  to 
some  observations  by  her  Majesty. 

As  this  volume  is  appearing  at  an  opportune 
moment  and  will  probably  divert  the  thoughts  of 
many  to  Farnborough  Hill,  I  am  emboldened  to 
hope  that  some  at  least  will  be  sufficiently  sympathetic 
to  fallen  greatness  to  wish  her  (as  I  respectfully  do) 
"  many  happy  returns  "  on  her  "  ninetieth  "  (May  5). 

E.  L. 


CONTENTS 


I.  The  Empress's  "Ninetieth" 
II.  Le  Quatorze  Juillet,  19 15 

III.  A  Lifelong  Friend  of  the  Empress    . 

IV.  The  Empress's  Gift  to  Paris     . 
V.  Jean  Baptiste  Franceschini  Pietri 

VI.  The  Empress  Eugi^nie  and  her  Son 
VII.  M.  Filon's  "Life" 
VIII.  Cardinal  Bonaparte's  Letters  . 
IX.  Emperor,  Empress  and  Last  Premier  . 
X.  The  Empress  in  her  own  Country 
XI.  Psychology  of  the  Empress 
XII.  A  French  Lady's  "  Appreciation  " 

XIII.  Rochbfort  and  the  Empress 

XIV.  The  Empress  Eugenie's  Family  Tree    . 
XV.  The  Empress's  Tears 

XVI.  The  Empress's  "  Indiscretions  " 

XVII,  How  THE  Germans   treated   their   Emperor 
Prisoner  ..... 

XVIII.  The  "  Little  Man  "... 

XIX.  Fabled  Wealth  of  the  Napoleons 
13 


rAGE 

17 

22 
29 
35 
38 

49 
58 
63 

77 

102 

III 

135 
142 
149 

157 
161 

172 
184 
188 


H 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XX.  Lord    Granville    and    the    Empress — Lady 
Cowley  visits  the  Captive  Emperor 

XXL  Our  Tribute  to  the  "  Little  Prince  " 

XXIL  "Identifying"  the  Prince  Imperial. 

XXIII.  The  Empress's  Critics  . 

XXIV.  Louis  Napoleon  in  London     . 
XXV.  Poets'  Tributes  .... 

XXVI.  The  Empress  and  Sarah  Bernhardt 
XXVII.  Some  Voices  that  are  still    . 
XXVIII.  Bonapartism  before  the  War 
XXIX.  The  Empress  a  Successful  Defendant 
XXX.  Lampooning  the  Empress 
XXXI.  The  Prince  who  lived  at  Bayswater 
XXXII.  Bazaine,     Lebceuf,    Canrobert    and     Napo 

LEON    III.  .... 

XXXIII.  Parentage  of  Napoleon  III.  . 

XXXIV.  The  Empress,  her  Son  and  the  Family 
Index      ..... 


193 
200 

212 
227 
241 

275 

287 

295 
299 

306 

311 
316 
380 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  Empress  Eugenie      ....  Frontispiece 

By  Carpeaux 

The   Empress    Eugenie    leaving   the   Church    of 

the  Immaculate  Conception,  Farm  Street  .   To  face  page    32 

The  widowed  Duchesse  de  Mouchy,  nee  Princess 

Anna  Murat,  and  Princess  Murat  .       „       „  36 

The  celebrated  Due  de  Morny  (Half-Brother  of 

Napoleon  III.)  and  his  Wife        .  •  >»  »  36 

The  late  M.  Franceschini  Pietri  .  •  >f  »  3^ 

Princess  Pauline  de  Metternich  .  »  »  52 

The  late  Countess  Walewska       .  .  •  «  »>  52 

The  Empress  Eugenie,  the  Prince  Imperial  and 

Prince  Murat  .  .  .  .       ,,       „  60 

The    Emperor   Napoleon    III.   and   the   Prince 

Imperial     .  .  .  .  .       „       „  60 

The     King    of     Prussia     (afterwards     Emperor 

William  I.)  .  .  .  .       „       „  78 

The   present    Kaiser,    William    II.,    at    the    age 

of  four        .  ,  .  .  •       »       »  78 

The  Empress  Eugenie      .  .  .  •       »       .»         II4 

After  the  portrait  by   Winterkalter 

The   Empress   Eugenie   in   the  grounds    of  her 

Villa  at  Cap  Martin  .  .  •       »       1,         130 

Madame    Adelina    Patti    (now    Baroness    Rolf 

Cederstrom)  .  .  .  •      >t       »         254 

Madame  Sarah  Bernhardt  in  1867  ,  •       »      >j         254 

15 


i6  LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Empress  Eugenie  before  her  Marriage 

The  Empress  en  Crinoline 

The  Empress  Eugenie  in  1915   . 

The  Prince  Imperial  in  Costume  of  the  Imperial 
Hunt  .... 

Prince  Metternich 

The  Empress  Eugenie  in  Evening  Costume 

The  Empress  Eugenie  in  State  Robes    . 

Napoleon    III.,   the    Prince    Imperial    and    the 
Empress      .... 

The  Empress  in  Afternoon  Dress 

The  Empress  and  Prince  Murat 

The  Prince  Imperial  in  Court  Dress 


260 

u     >1 

320 

ll 

338 

>)    >) 

338 

ti          )) 

346 

M      )) 

346 

e 

356 

JJ      >) 

356 

>  )      J  ! 

364 

»)      )> 

364 

CHAPTER  I 

THE   EMPRESS'S  "  NINETIETH  " 

MAY  5,  1916 

The  little  old  lady — so  very  old — swathed  in  black 
of  unfashionable  cut,  with  no  eyes  for  anything  but 
her  Prayer  Book,  follows  the  annual  Mass  of  Requiem 
for  her  husband  and  her  son  at  St  Michael's  Abbey, 
Farnborough,  with  the  assiduity  of  a  young  nun  in  her 
novitiate.  And  presently  she  toils  down  the  staircase 
to  the  crypt,  the  Imperial  Mausoleum,  and  glances 
up  at  the  cavity  in  the  wall  behind  the  altar  in  which 
she  will  sleep  the  last  sleep.  A  strange  idea,  perhaps, 
but  she  is  original  in  all  she  does  and  all  she  says,  as 
some  day  the  world — the  English  world — will  learn 
for  itself.  It  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to  see  her  in  all  her 
hours  of  agony — the  passing  of  the  Emperor  at  Chisle- 
hurst,  the  slaughter  of  her  son  by  the  Zulus'  assegais 
and  his  burial  within  sight  of  his  Kentish  home, 
and  the  removal  of  the  two  coffins  from  the  little  church 
in  the  lane  to  the  glorious  fabric  which  she  built  on  the 
knoll  among  the  pines  and  the  rhododendrons,  which 
she  can  gaze  upon  from  her  room.  She  landed  at 
Ryde  from  Sir  John  Burgoyne's  yacht  in  September, 
1870,  a  fugitive — youthful-looking,  sunny-faced, 
golden-haired,  a  paragon  of  beauty  and  grace — one 
(I  suspect)  of  King  Edward's  *'  three  most  beautiful 
women  I  have  ever  seen." 

The  Empress  Eugenie's  whim  in  19 15  was  to  have 
B  17 


i8     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

her  yacht  fitted  with  a  wireless  installation.  The 
Imperial  idea  would  not  have  given  occasion  for 
comment  in  peace  times ;  but  her  friends  at  a  distance 
marvelled  as  to  what  may  have  been  her  Majesty's 
object. 

The  war  had  the  effect  of  cutting  the  Empress 
off  from  France  in  a  manner  which  she  could  never 
have  seriously  contemplated,  although  when  the 
"  declarations  "  began  flying  about  in  August,  19 14, 
she  professed  no  surprise.  As  a  rule  she  has  passed 
the  latter  part  of  the  winter  and  the  early  spring 
months  at  Cap  Martin.  She  was  in  Italy  shortly 
before  the  war  broke  out  and  returned  to  England  in 
mid-July. 

One  of  the  Empress's  greatest  delights  is  to  see 
King  George  drive  up  to  the  picturesque  house  in  which 
the  most  remarkable  of  women  will  probably  end 
her  days.  The  King,  Queen  Mary,  the  Prince  of 
Wales  and  Princess  Mary  had  a  long  chat  with  the 
Empress  in  19 15,  driving  over  from  Aldershot.  King 
Edward's  son  reminds  her  in  many  ways  of  her 
only  child,  the  Prince  Imperial,  who  was,  however, 
nearly  ten  years  King  George's  senior,  and  died  at 
three-and-twenty. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  19 15,  the  King  and  Queen 
(then  at  Aldershot)  were  accompanied  to  Farnborough 
Hill  by  Queen  Alexandra  and  Princess  Victoria. 
The  august  widow  of  Edward  VII.  had  not  often 
visited  the  Empress,  for  whom  she  has  the  highest 
regard.  The  venerable  lady  could  not  restrain  her 
emotion  when  greeting  King  George's  mother. 
Needless  to  say.  Prince  and  Princess  Napoleon  were 
gratified  at  this  opportunity  of  meeting  Queen 
Alexandra  and  her  daughter. 


THE   EMPRESS'S   "  NINETIETH  "      19 

Few  visitors  to  Farnborough  Hill  get  a  warmer 
welcome  than  the  Due  d'Albe,  a  descendant  of  the 
wealthy  Spaniard  who  married  the  Empress's  only 
sister  some  sixty  odd  years  ago.  That  Duchesse 
d'Albe  is  supposed  to  have  been  preferred  to  her  more 
beautiful  sister,  Eugenie,  who  had  not  at  the  time  ever 
dreamt  of  one  day  becoming  Empress  of  the  French. 
The  Due  d'Albe,  one  of  King  Alfonso's  intimates, 
is  a  champion  polo  player,  and  has  been  seen  in  many 
games  with  our  crack  poloists.  He  was  among  the 
Empress's  visitors  at  Farnborough  in  1915;  and, 
as  noted  elsewhere,  his  brother,  the  Due  de  Penaranda, 
was  the  guest  of  her  Majesty  in  the  middle  of 
December  in  the  same  year. 

Even  in  her  dreams  (and  they  were  many),  the 
Empress  could  never  have  imagined — 

That  at  the  age  of  forty-four  and  three  months  she 
would  be  compelled  to  fly  secretly  from  Paris  and  take 
refuge  in  England ; 

That  less  than  three  years  later  her  consort, 
Napoleon  III.,  would  die  quite  unexpectedly  at 
Chislehurst ; 

That  in  another  half-dozen  years  her  only  son  would 
be  slain  by  Zulus; 

That,  from  and  after  the  8th  of  September,  1870, 
her  permanent  home  would  be  England ; 

That  forty-four  years  after  Sedan  and  the  dismem- 
berment of  France  by  the  Germans  she  would  still 
be  living,  while  the  Kaiser's  armies  were  once  more 
attempting  to  conquer  the  country  over  which  her 
husband  had  ruled  and  she  had  throned  it  for  eighteen 
years ; 

And  that  two  months  before  entering  upon  her 
ninetieth  year  the  son  of  her  dear  friend,  Edward  VII., 


20     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

would,  with  his  consort,  their  eldest  son  and  their 
daughter,  be  "  five-o'clocking  "  with  her,  Eugenie 
de  Montijo,  the  one-time  Empress  of  the  French,  at 
her  beautiful  Hampshire  home. 

No  crazy  prophet  or  prophetess  ever  predicted 
any  of  these  things,  but,  like  so  many  other  events  in 
this  marvellous  woman's  history,  they  have  all  come 
to  pass,  and  none  can  say  what  may  be  in  store  for  her 
between  now  and  the  celebration  of  her  ninetieth 
birthday  on  the  5th  of  May,  19 16. 

Surely  one  of  the  strangest  episodes  in  the  Empress's 
long  life  of  surprises  is  that  which  we  witnessed  for 
ourselves  at  the  beginning  of  August,  19 14,  when  the 
Imperial  mistress  of  Farnborough  Hill,  a  refugee 
herself,  threw  open  her  doors  to  Prince  (Victor) 
Napoleon,  his  wife  and  their  children — all  equally 
refugees !  The  Prince  is  still  theoretically  the 
Bonapartist  Pretender  to  the  Throne  of  France,  which 
has  had  no  occupant  since  the  4th  of  September,  1870. 
Princess  Clementine  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  King 
of  the  Belgians,  cousin  of  the  present  warrior-King, 
and  she  and  her  consort  were  living  in  their  home  of 
treasures.  Avenue  Louise,  Brussels,  when  the  rapid 
march  of  events  converted  them,  like  tens  of  thousands 
of  others,  into  refugees.  With  their  august  relative 
they  are,  and  have  been  from  the  first,  thoroughly 
at  home.  That  "  Farnborough  Hill  "  will  ultimately 
be  their  permanent  abode  is  now  practically  certain. 
They  would  be  less  happy  at  the  Tuileries  than  among 
the  Hampshire  pine-trees. 

When,  if  ever.  Princess  Napoleon  finds  time  hanging 
heavily  on  her  hands,  she  can  slip  on  an  apron  and 
become  an  infirmiere.  To  see  and  cheer  her  wounded 
compatriots  she  journeyed  to   Manchester — the  first 


THE   EMPRESS'S   "  NINETIETH  "      21 

time  a  Princess  Napoleon  had  been  seen  in  those  parts. 
She  had  only  to  be  seen  to  conquer,  for  not  only  is  she 
a  beautiful  woman,  but  versed  in  all  those  little  ways 
which  inspire  admiration  and  love.  Needless  to  say 
how  the  hearts  of  the  sufferers  went  out  to  their 
charming  compatriot  or  how  delighted  the  Empress  was 
to  hear  her  experiences. 

The  Empress  passed  her  twenty-fourth  successive 
season  at  Cap  Martin  in  19 14.  The  spring  of  19 15 
found  her  in  England,  and  here  she  will  probably 
remain  until  the  nations  are  at  peace. 

A  personage  now  seldom  seen  at  Farnborough  Hill 
stayed  there  for  a  few  days  in  October,  19 15.  This 
was  the  widowed  Duchesse  de  Mouchy,  who  is 
still  often  spoken  of  as  Princess  Anna  Murat,  her 
maiden  name.  She  is  the  oldest  surviving  friend  of 
the  Empress. 

Although  in  all  works  of  reference  the  Empress 
is  described  as  "  Eugenie  de  Montijo,"  she  has  always 
signed,  and  still  signs,  legal  documents  "  Eugenie 
de  Guzman,"  one  of  her  twenty-one  titles,  fewer  than 
those  which  were  borne  by  her  sister,  the  Duchesse 
d'Albe. 


CHAPTER  II 

LE    QUATORZE    JUILLET,    1915 

The  Empress  Eugenie  has  lived  to  see  France  again 
invaded  by  the  relentless  foe  of  1870;  to  see  the 
armies  of  Great  Britain,  Belgium,  France,  Russia, 
Italy,  Montenegro  and  Serbia  massed  against  the 
Hunnish  legions;  and  to  see  London  and  many 
provincial  centres  honour  the  Republic  by  an 
enthusiastic  observance  of  the  Fete  Nationale  ! 

In  many  respects  the  celebration  in  Monarchical 
England  of  the  National  Fete  of  the  French  Republic 
in  19 1 5  was  the  most  striking  episode  in  the  history 
of  the  two  countries  for  three  centuries.  It  was 
one  of  those  unanticipated  events  which  confirm 
the  Disraelian  axiom  :  "  It  is  the  unexpected  which 
always  happens."  While  we  are  maintaining,  and 
shall  successfully  maintain,  the  existence  of  the 
Republic  it  is  well  to  remember  that  for  centuries 
France  was  as  Monarchical  as  England — that  for  a 
thousand  years  she  was  ruled  by  Kings  and  by  two 
Emperors.  Not  to  be  forgotten,  either,  is  the  fact 
that,  as  recently  as  1873,  there  was  for  a  brief  space 
the  likelihood  that  France  would  again  place  a  King 
on  the  overturned  throne  of  her  last  Imperial  ruler. 
In  that  year  the  Comte  de  Paris  (grandson  of  Louis 
Philippe,  who  had  abdicated  and  taken  refuge  in 
England  as  "Mr  Smith"  in  1848), and  the  other  Princes 
of  the  Royal  House  of  France,  declared  to  the  sensi- 
tive Comte  de  Chambord,  then  at  Vienna,  that  they 


LE    QUATORZE    JUILLET,    1915        23 

recognised  in  him  "  the  head  of  our  House  and  the 
sole  representative  of  the  principle  of  Monarchy 
in  France."  But  in  the  November  of  that  year 
"  Chambord,"  at  Versailles,  definitively  refused  to 
accept  the  tricolour  and  stubbornly  stood  out  for  the 
White  flag  as  the  emblem  of  sovereignty.  From  that 
moment  it  was  "  all  up  "  with  the  Monarchy,  and  the 
National  Assembly  confided  to  Marshal  MacMahon, 
Duke  of  Magenta,  a  Royalist  sailing  under  Bonapartist 
colours,  the  powers  appertaining  to  the  Presidency  of 
the  Republic  for  seven  years.  France  has  flourished 
under  the  wise  rule  of  the  Republic,  which  was  never 
stronger,  never  more  deeply  rooted  in  the  hearts  of  the 
people,  than  on  the  anniversary  (July  14,  191 5)  of 
the  taking  of  the  Bastille,  the  opening  event  of  the 
French  Revolution,  the  anniversary  likewise  of  the 
liberation  of  France. 

The  Royalists  had  sworn  that,  come  what  may, 
the  Bastille  should  never  be  given  over  to  the  "  Reds," 
the  originators  of  that  "  Terror  "  with  which  every 
schoolboy  is  supposed  to  be  familiar.  Its  custodian 
was  one  De  Launay,  and  Carlyle  has  depicted  it  in  its 
death  throes  :  "  What  shall  De  Launay  do  ?  One 
thing  only  De  Launay  could  have  done  :  what  he  said 
he  would  do.  Fancy  him  sitting  from  the  first  with 
lighted  taper  within  arm's  length  of  the  Powder  Magaz- 
ine; motionless,  like  old  Roman  Senator  or  Bronze 
Lampholder ;  coldly  apprising  Thuriot,  and  all  men, 
by  a  slight  motion  of  his  eye,  what  his  resolution  was. 
Harmless  he  sat  there  while  unharmed;  but  the 
King's  Fortress,  meanwhile,  could,  might,  would,  or 
should,  in  nowise  be  surrendered  save  to  the  King's 
Messenger :  one  old  man's  life  is  worthless,  so  it  be 
lost  with  honour;  but  think,  ye  brawling  mob,  how  it 


24     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

will  be  when  the  whole  Bastille  springs  skyward. 
And  yet,  withal,  he  could  not  do  it.  .  .  .  De  Launay 
could  not  do  it.  Distracted,  he  hovers  between  two 
hopes  in  the  middle  of  despair;  surrenders  not  his 
Fortress ;  declares  that  he  will  blow  it  up,  and  does  not 
blow  it.  Unhappy  old  De  Launay,  it  is  the  death- 
agony  of  thy  Bastille  and  thee !  Jail,  Jailering  and 
Jailer,  all  three,  such  as  they  may  have  been,  must 
finish." 

The  first  to  "  finish  "  was  the  "  Jail,"  the  Bastille, 
which,  after  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  was 
attacked  and  razed  to  the  ground  on  July  14,  1789. 

Every  year  the  French  Royalists  commemorate 
the  tragedy  enacted  on  that  winter  day  in  1793,  the 
execution  of  Louis  XVL  They  assembled,  as  of 
yore,  on  the  21st  of  January  191 5,  at  the  church  of 
Saint-Germain  TAuxerrois,  formerly  the  parish  of  the 
Kings  of  France,  when  Mass  was  celebrated  for  the 
repose  of  the  august  victim  of  the  "  Terror."  It  was 
the  122nd  anniversary  of  the  crime.  There  were  to 
be  seen  the  fine  fleur  of  Parisian  Royalist  society — 
the  presidents  of  the  Royalist  Committees,  the  pro- 
vincial delegates  of  the  Due  d'Orleans  (the  banished 
Pretender  to  the  Throne),  and  Baron  Tristan  Lambert, 
formerly  a  Bonapartist,  who  accompanied  the  Empress 
Eugenie's  son,  the  Prince  Imperial,  to  the  little  church 
at  Chislehurst  on  the  morning  of  his  departure  for 
Zululand,  there  to  meet  his  fate  at  three-and-twenty. 

The  register  of  death  was  not  drawn  up  until  two 
months  after  the  execution  of  Louis  XVI.  This 
document  is  now  in  the  archives  of  the  City  of 
Paris,  and  it  is  a  memento  of  the  event  which  may  be 
recalled  a  propos  of  the  National  Fete.  It  is  textually 
as  follows : — 


LE    QUATORZE    JUILLET,    1915        25 

"  Monday,  i8th  March  1793,  second  year  of  the 
Republic.  Act  of  decease  of  Louis  Capet  on  the  21st 
of  January  last,  at  22  minutes  past  10  in  the  morn- 
ing. Profession — last  King  of  the  French.  Age — 
39.  Native  of  Versailles,  in  the  parish  of  Notre 
Dame.  Residing  at  Paris,  Tour  du  Temple.  Mar- 
ried to  Marie  Antoinette  of  Austria.  The  said  Louis 
Capet  [was]  executed  on  the  Place  de  la  Revolution 
in  accordance  with  the  decrees  of  the  National 
Convention." 

The  "  Acte  de  Deces  "  states  that  the  execution 
took  place  in  the  presence  of  two  members  of  the 
Directory  of  the  Seine,  the  commissaires  deputed  by 
the  Provincial  Executive  Council,  and  two  commis- 
saires of  the  Paris  Municipality. 

The  Fete  Nationale  of  to-day  is  the  Fete  Imperiale 
of  yesterday.  "  Change  but  the  name,  and  the  tale 
is  told  of  "  it.  The  latter,  founded  by  the  Great 
Corsican,  was  kept  on  the  15th  of  August,  the  Church 
Festival  of  the  Assumption,  and  it  was  celebrated  for 
the  last  time  in  1869.  When  the  next  Assumption 
Day  came  France,  after  thirteen  fateful  days'  fighting, 
was  being  pulverised  and  disintegrated  by  the  pre- 
decessors of  the  ruthless  foes  of  1914-1916.  But 
that  would  not  have  happened  had  the  Anglo-French 
Alliance  been  in  existence. 

The  reasons  for  the  defeat  in  1870  have  been  elo- 
quently and  adequately  explained  by  M.  Emile  Ollivier 
and  many  other  authorities  of  varying  degrees  of 
eminence.  Of  these  one  of  the  most  recent  is  General 
Bazaine-Hayter,  who,  in  an  elaborate  defence  of  his 
relative,  Marshal  Bazaine,  from  one  of  innumerable 
attacks,  wrote  in  191 1  : — 


26     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

"  It  took  a  fortnight  to  get  together  203,000  men, 
who  were  opposed  to  434,000  perfectly-equipped 
Germans.  We  had  made  no  preparations.  There 
were  no  horses  for  the  artillery  reserve  and  the  wagons 
carrying  the  bridges  (pontoons) ;  no  tools  for  making 
trenches.  Our  mitrailleuses  arrived  direct  from  the 
manufacturers,  and  those  who  were  to  serve  them  were 
quite  ignorant.  Our  artillery  was  inferior  in  numbers 
and  in  efficiency — in  short,  powerless.  We  had  no 
regularly-formed  service  for  the  transport  of  food. 
Our  formation  in  battle,  which  was  old  even  in  1859, 
was  entirely  out  of  date.  Our  rosters  were  thirty 
years  old.  Our  method  of  command  was  very  defec- 
tive, and  without  initiative.  These  were  the  causes  of 
our  defeats — of  all  our  defeats." 

From  the  middle  of  August  the  functions  of  the 
generals  in  the  field  were  usurped  by  the  Empress  and 
General  de  Palikao.  Distracted  by  telegrams  from 
the  Tuileries,  Marshal  MacMahon  made  the  fatal 
mistake  of  concentrating  all  his  available  forces  in  and 
near  Sedan.  "  Now  we  have  got  him  in  the  mouse- 
trap," said  Moltke.     It  was  true. 

We  English  did  not  "  take  our  pleasure  sadly  "  in 
Paris  year  after  year  on  the  15th  of  August.  Our 
language  was  heard  on  all  sides,  just  as  French  now 
rings  in  our  ears  in  London.  Perhaps  the  Imperial 
Fete  and  the  National  Fete  resembled  each  other 
in  many  of  their  features;  but  those  who,  like  myself, 
saw  the  Napoleonic  festival  "  with  their  eyes  "  retain 
memories  of  its  unsurpassable  splendours  and  its 
myriad  gaieties.  The  French  have  a  great  liking  and 
respect  for  dates.  The  14th  of  July  19 15  was,  then,  a 
"  date  "    of    high    import    alike    for    Republicans, 


LE    QUATORZE    JUILLET,    1915        27 

Royalists  and  Bonapartists.  France  had  her  "  great  " 
year  in  1867,  when  the  Napoleonic  star  was  at  its 
brightest.  It  was  the  year  of  the  Exhibition,  the 
fourteenth  which  had  been  held  since  1798  ("  Year  6  " 
of  the  Republic).  The  sovereigns  of  the  world  and 
members  of  their  families  foregathered  in  Paris  at  the 
invitation  of  Napoleon  III.  and  his  Empress.  Of  the 
Imperial  guests  there  is  one  specially  notable  survivor, 
the  Emperor  of  Austria-Hungary.  Among  the  visitors 
were  the  grandfather  and  the  father  of  Kaiser  William 
II.,  both  of  whom  three  years  later  were  leading 
their  forces  against  those  of  their  former  Imperial 
entertainers.  The  Prince  of  Wales  (Edward  VII.) 
represented  England  on  behalf  of  Queen  Victoria : 
with  him  were  two  of  his  brothers,  the  late  Duke  of 
Edinburgh  and  the  surviving  Duke  of  Connaught. 
Survivors  (in  19 16)  included  the  wealthy  Duchesse 
de  Mouchy  (Princesse  Anna  Murat),  the  Duchesse  de 
Conegliano  (widow  of  the  Chamberlain  of  the  Em- 
peror's Household),  the  Princesse  Pauline  de  Metter- 
nich  (widow  of  the  Austrian  Ambassador  to  France 
until  1870),  and  others  whom  it  boots  not  to  mention. 
In  the  golden  days  of  1867  the  last  things  thought  of 
were  war  with  Germany  and  the  overthrow  of  the 
Empire  in  1870,  the  internment  of  Napoleon  III.  at 
Wilhelmshohe  for  nearly  seven  months,  and  the 
establishment  of  a  Republic,  the  third  of  its  kind  since 
the  accession  to  the  throne  of  a  Bourbon. 

In  1870  and  during  a  portion  of  1871  France  had 
a  Government  of  National  Defence;  in  1871  Adolphe 
Thiers  became  the  first  President  of  the  Republic, 
and  so  remained  until  1873;  and  since  then  France 
has  had  as  Presidents  MacMahon,  Grevy,  F.  Sadi 
Carnot  (assassinated),  Casimir   Perier,   Felix   Faure, 


28     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Emile  Loubet,  Armand  Fallieres  and  Raymond 
Poincare.  The  three  latter  have  been  familiarised 
to  us  by  their  visits  to  London.  MM.  Loubet  and 
Fallieres  were  the  guests  of  King  Edward,  King 
George  entertained  M.  Poincare  in  19 13.  The  state 
visit  to  Paris  of  King  George  and  his  consort  in  19 14 
did  much  to  consolidate  the  happy  relations  between 
the  two  countries  which  originated  with  Edward  VIL 
in  1903,  and  may  now  be  considered  indissoluble. 


CHAPTER  III 

A  LIFELONG  FRIEND  OF  THE  EMPRESS 

Madame  Christine  Vaughan  de  Arcos  died  on 
November  24,  19 13,  aged  seventy-eight.  She  married 
Don  Domingo  de  Arcos  in  1859,  and  from  then  till 
1872,  when  she  became  a  widow,  she  lived  in  Paris. 
Her  mother  had  known  the  Empress  as  a  child,  and 
so  when  she  came  to  Paris  she  was  brought  into  touch 
with  the  Imperial  Family.  But  it  was  after  the 
Empress  came  to  England  that  Madame  de  Arcos 
really  came  to  enjoy  her  close  friendship.  She  never 
held  any  actual  appointment  in  the  Empress's  entour- 
age, but  she  was  her  constant  companion,  and  was  with 
her  during  the  years  of  her  heaviest  troubles.  At  one 
period  the  Empress  went  every  year  to  Scotland 
to  stay  at  Abergeldie,  which  Queen  Victoria  placed 
at  her  disposal,  and  in  these  visits  to  the  north 
Madame  de  Arcos  always  accompanied  her. 

At  the  funeral,  at  Brewood,  Staffordshire,  on 
November  29,  the  chief  mourners  were  Mrs  Vaughan 
(sister).  Captain  Ernest  Vaughan  and  Miss  Vaughan. 
Among  the  floral  and  other  tributes  were  a  wreath  from 
Queen  Alexandra,  with  card  attached,  "  In  Sorrowing 
Remembrance,  from  Alexandra,"  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg,  the  Duchess 
of  Rutland,  Mary  Duchess  of  Hamilton,  the  Duchesse 
de  Mouchy,  Earl  and  Countess  Bathurst,  the  Earl 
of  Lisburne  and  Lady  Enid  Vaughan,  the  Countess 
of  Lisburne,  Countess  Amherst,  the  Earl  and  Countess 
29 


30     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

of  Dartmouth,  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Bradford, 
Sir  William  and  Lady  Noreen  Bass,  Mr  and  Mrs 
Leopold  de  Rothschild,  Mrs  Standish,  Sir  Henry 
and  Lady  Chamberlain,  Lord  and  Lady  Stamfordham. 
Captain  George  Vaughan;  Erny,  Louise  and  Eddy, 
the  servants  at  21  Wilton  Crescent,  and  the  servants 
at  Lapley. 

The  Empress  sent  (and  it  was  placed  on  the  coffin) 
a  large  bunch  of  South  African  rushes,  the  produce  of 
the  original  plants  which  she  brought  back  from 
Zululand  after  her  visit  to  the  Prince  Imperial's 
grave  in  1880  (the  year  after  his  death).  The  Em- 
press received  messages  of  sympathy  from  the  King, 
Queen  Alexandra,  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg  and 
other  members  of  the  Royal  Family. 

A  solemn  High  Mass  of  Requiem  for  the  repose  of 
the  soul  of  Madame  de  Arcos  was  sung  at  the  Church 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  Farm  Street,  on 
November  29.  The  celebrant  was  the  Rev.  Father 
George  Pollen,  the  Deacon  was  Father  J.  Bampton, 
and  Father  Ryan  acted  as  Sub-Deacon.  During  the 
seating  of  the  congregation  Mr  J.  F.  Brewer  played 
Chopin's  "  Marche  Funebre  "  and  other  voluntaries. 
A  catafalque  was  placed  outside  the  chancel  rails  and 
covered  with  a  purple  pall  of  velvet.  The  music 
of  the  Mass  was  Gregorian,  harmonised,  con- 
ducted by  Mr  J.  F.  Smith,  the  Director  of  Music,  and 
the  offertory  was  Neidermeyer's  "  Pie  Jesu."  The 
mourners  were  received  at  the  west  door  by  the 
Rev.  Father  Charles  Nicholson,  the  Superior,  who 
presented  them  with  the  goupillon  (the  holy-water 
sprinkler). 

The  Queen  of  Spain  was  present,  attended  by  the 
Duke  of  Santa  Mauro  and  the  Duchess  of  San  Carlos. 


A    LIFELONG   FRIEND  31 

Her  Majesty  was  accompanied  by  Princess  Henry  of 
Battenberg,  who  was  attended  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Cuthbertson  and  Miss  Minnie  Cochrane.  The  Em- 
press Eugenie  was  also  present,  attended  by  Madame 
d'Attainville  and  the  late  Monsieur  Franceschini  Pietri. 

Others  in  the  congregation  were  the  Spanish  Am- 
bassador and  Madame  Merry  del  Val,  the  Argentine 
Minister  and  Madame  Dominguez,  the  Marquise 
d'Hautpoul,  Alice  Countess  Amherst,  Countess 
Koenigsmarck,  the  Dowager  Countess  de  la  Warr, 
Lord  Lisburne,  Lord  and  Lady  Stamfordham,  Lady 
William  Nevill,  Lady  Margaret  Orr-Ewing,  Lady 
Margaret  Douglas,  Lady  Chetwode,  Lady  Enid 
Vaughan,  the  Hon.  Lady  Oliphant,  Colonel  the  Hon. 
Francis  Colborne,  Sir  Henry  and  Lady  Chamberlain, 
Mrs  Thorold,  Dr  Procter,  Mrs  Silvertop,  Mr  Carlisle 
Spedding,  Mrs  John  Delacour,  Mrs  Scott  Murray, 
Mrs  Edward  Eyre,  Mrs  Lawrence  Currie,  Mrs  Rod- 
rick  Segrave,  Miss  Alice  Bagot,  Mrs  and  Miss  de 
Halpert,  Mr  and  Mrs  J.  Mott,  Madame  Specht,  Lieu- 
tenant R.  F.  Eyre,  R.N.,  Mrs  Murray  of  Polmaise, 
Mrs  Bedingfield,  Miss  Rosamond  Grosvenor  and  the 
author  of  this  work. 

The  solemnity  in  the  Farm  Street  Church  was  a 
striking  episode  in  the  English  life  of  the  widow  of 
Napoleon  III.  and  mother  of  the  Prince  Imperial. 
I  write  under  correction,  but,  as  far  as  my  memory  goes, 
it  was  the  first  time  the  Empress  had  been  seen  in  a 
London  church  as  one  of  the  ordinary  congregation. 
I  know  of  no  record  to  the  contrary;  but  I  may  be 
under  a  misapprehension.  Perhaps  it  is  safer  to  say 
that  it  was  the  first  time  her  Imperial  Majesty  had 
attended  a  funeral  service  for  one  of  her  friends  in 
a  Metropolitan  church,   strange  as  this  may  appear. 


32     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

I  do  not  remember  hearing  that  she  had  ever  before 
or  since  Lord  Sydney's  funeral  attended  a  Protestant 
service.  Although  it  had  occurred  to  me  that  her 
Majesty  might  possibly,  out  of  her  love  for  Madame 
de  Arcos,  nerve  herself  to  the  ordeal  of  attending  the 
Requiem  Mass,  her  absence  would  not  have  surprised 
me.  I  am  sure  very  few  of  the  congregation,  apart 
from  relatives  and  intimate  friends,  were  aware  of  her 
intention;  nor  did  all  the  Jesuit  Fathers  know  of  it, 
for  one  to  whom  I  announced  it  looked  incredulous. 

The  Requiem  began  at  eleven  o'clock.  Ten  minutes 
or  so  later  all  doubts  were  dispelled  by  the  principal 
officiant,  attended  by  three  acolytes,  proceeding  to 
the  entrance  door,  and  we  who  were  standing  there 
saw  the  Empress  slowly  ascending  the  steps,  gently 
assisted  by  M.  Pietri  and  Madame  d'Attainville. 
Stopping  for  a  moment,  the  Empress  made  the  holy 
sign,  in  accordance  with  the  Spanish,  not  the  English, 
usage  (there  is  a  slight  difference  between  the  two), 
and,  preceded  by  the  reverend  Father  and  the  boys, 
walked  up  the  nave  to  the  chair  reserved  for  her  on 
the  left  of  and  close  to  the  catafalque,  which  was 
covered  by  a  magnificent  gold-embroidered  pall  and 
flanked  by  three  large  tapers  on  either  side.  Immed- 
iately opposite  were  the  Queen  of  Spain  and  her 
mother.  The  Empress  walked  to  her  place  unassisted. 
She  did  not  use  the  familiar  ebony  cane  as  a  walking- 
stick,  but  occasionally  tapped  the  floor  with  it.  She 
gave  me  the  impression  of  being  stronger  and  in  better 
health  generally  than  when  I  had  last  seen  her  in  the 
Imperial  Mausoleum  at  Farnborough  on  the  9th  of 
January  19 12,  the  date  of  the  annual  memorial  service 
for  the  Emperor.  As  on  that  occasion,  so  now,  she  sat, 
knelt,    and   stood,    like    everybody    else,   throughout 


The  Empress  Eugenie  (Mme.  d'Attainvili.e  am>  the 
late  m.  pletki  on  either  side)  i.eavinc,  the  c^hurch 

OF      THE       iMMAf  II.ATE      ("ONCErTION,        FaRM       STREET, 

London,  after  the  FtNEKAi.  service  for  her  devoted 

FRIEND,  Mme.  de  Arcos,  November  29,  1913.     One  of 

THE  Empress's  rare  visits  to  a  London  chi  rch 


A   LIFELONG   FRIEND  33 

the  whole  of  the  service,  rising  from  her  kneeling  posi- 
tion without  any  effort;  yet  in  May,  19 16,  she  will  be 
ninety,  and  will  then  have  been  among  us  close  upon 
forty-six  years,  one-half  of  her  lifetime.  During 
the  service  she  did  not  lift  her  eyes  from  the  gilt- 
edged  Prayer  Book  which  she  brought  with  her. 
At  first  she  read  without  the  use  of  glasses,  but  after 
a  few  minutes  (the  light  not  being  particularly  strong) 
she  put  on  her  pince-nez,  and  did  not  remove  it  until 
the  service  ended. 

Upon  rising  she  was  immediately  greeted,  close  to 
the  catafalque,  by  her  Royal  god-daughter  and  Princess 
Henry  of  Battenberg,  whom  apparently  she  had 
not  expected  to  see.  Again  without  any  apparent 
effort  the  Empress  walked  to  the  door.  The  scene 
here  is  difficult  to  adequately  describe.  I  tax  my 
memory  in  vain  for  its  parallel.  As  the  Empress  stood 
at  the  entrance,  her  back  to  the  wall,  waiting  for  her 
"  auto,"  she  was  the  object  of  a  truly  extraordinary 
demonstration,  which  seemingly  amazed,  and  perhaps 
momentarily  dazed,  her.  Her  many  friends  of  both 
sexes  hastened  to  greet  her.  While  some  ladies 
grasped  her  hand  and  kissed  it,  others  laid  an  arm  on 
her  shoulder  and  embraced  her  on  the  cheek.  Men 
knelt  and  kissed  her  hand.  She  was  greeted  in 
Spanish,  French  and  English,  and  to  all  she  essayed 
to  address  an  affectionate  word  or  two.  Something  of 
her  old  winning  smile  lit  up  her  pale  face  as  she  re- 
ceived this  homage,  and  she  looked  the  thanks  for  which 
she  could  not  find  utterance.  All  the  men  stood  with 
bared  heads  as  at  length  she  departed  for  Farnborough 
Hill. 

The  Empress,  despite  her  grief  at  the  loss  of  so 
dear  a  friend  as  Madame  de  Arcos  was  to  her  for  some 


34     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

forty  years,  appeared  to  be  in  the  most  satisfactory 
state  of  health.  Before  the  day  was  over  I  received 
from  a  friend  at  Brussels  information  that  there  was 
a  general  impression  in  the  Belgian  capital  (Prince 
Napoleon's  then  home)  that  the  Empress  was  very  ill. 
I  was  even  begged  to  telegraph  her  exact  condition. 
I  communicated  the  facts,  which  were  made  known  by 
the  Brussels  Press. 

Probate  of  the  will  of  Madame  de  Arcos,  dated  Janu- 
ary 17,  1908,  was  granted  to  her  niece,  Miss  Louise 
Mary  Vaughan,  21  Wilton  Crescent.  The  testatrix 
bequeathed  ;^5oo  to  that  lady,  ;i^iooo  to  her  nephew, 
Captain  Ernest  Mallet  Vaughan,  of  the  Grenadier 
Guards;  ;^iooo  to  her  nephew.  Captain  George 
Edmund  Vaughan,  Coldstream  Guards ;  ;^  100  to  her 
brother,  George  Augustus  Vaughan,  and  the  residue 
of  her  estate  to  her  sister,  Mary  Vaughan,  whom 
failing,  to  her  niece,  Louise  Mary  Vaughan,  absolutely. 
The  total  amount  of  the  estate  was  ;^ 26,974. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  EMPRESS'S  GIFT   TO   PARIS 

In  January  19 14  Parisians  learnt,  to  their  intense 
surprise  and  gratification,  that  the  Empress  Eugenie, 
who  had  been  prohibited  from  permanently  residing  in 
France  for  more  than  twenty  years  after  the  war  of 
1 870- 1 87 1,  had  purchased  for  ;!^  12,000  apiece  of  land, 
from  25,000  to  30,000  metres  in  extent,  adjoining 
the  part  of  La  Malmaison  with  which  the  names  of 
Napoleon  I.,  his  mother  and  the  Empress  Josephine 
will  be  always  associated. 

Immediately  after  the  death  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
in  Zululand  (June  i,  1879),  a  committee  was  formed 
in  Paris  in  order  to  provide  a  lasting  memorial  of 
the  only  child  of  Napoleon  III.  and  the  Empress 
Eugenie.  The  committee  was  presided  over  by  Prince 
Joachim  Murat,  and  among  its  members  were  the 
Due  de  Mouchy,  the  Due  de  Cambaceres,  the  Due 
d'Albufera,  the  Due  de  Padoue,  the  Due  de  Cadore, 
Prince  de  la  Moskowa  and  Baron  Haussmann.  There 
was  also  a  Press  Committee,  of  which  there  is  a  sur- 
viving member  in  that  popular  journalist,  M.  Arthur 
Meyer,  in  whose  paper,  the  "  Gaulois,"  the  general 
committee's  statement  of  the  object  in  view  was  pub- 
lished.    This  document  was  as  follows  : — 

"  The  moment  the  news  of  the  death  of  the  Prince 
Imperial  was  made  known  in  Paris,  it  was  resolved  to 
35 


36     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

open  a  subscription  for  perpetuating  his  memory 
by  erecting  a  monument,  and  a  committee  was 
immediately  formed  to  give  the  movement  a  national 
sanction.  A  great  neighbouring  country  showed  itself 
jealous  of  its  national  duties  towards  our  beloved 
Prince,  and  we  cannot  enter  into  rivalry  with  England, 
which  desires  to  give  him  a  place  in  Westminster 
Abbey  among  the  most  illustrious  of  her  men  of  whom 
she  is  proud.  But  there  remains  for  us  a  means 
of  giving  to  the  memory  of  the  Prince  the  one  thing 
which  he  would  have  preferred  above  all  others,  and 
that  is  to  raise  in  his  own  country  a  simple  monument 
to  perpetuate  our  inconsolable  sorrow.  A  chapel  in 
the  centre  of  Paris,  which  saw  him  grow  up  and  loved 
him,  would  consecrate  for  ever  the  explosion  of  grief 
caused  by  the  heroic  death  of  a  Prince  who,  in 
his  last  crusade,  knew  how  to  die  like  St  Louis  after 
having  known  how  to  pray  like  him.  Politics,  with 
their  implacable  hatreds  and  burning  passions,  have 
not  yet  had  time  to  obscure  that  dazzling  youthf  ulness, 
that  indomitable  courage,  that  faith  so  living,  that 
life  so  pure.  He  did  not  reign  until  after  his  death. 
It  is  to  this  son  of  France,  this  soldier  falling  in  heroic 
combat,  this  youth  over  whom  all  women  have  wept 
with  a  patriotic  solidarity  of  heart,  this  proud  and 
saintly  figure  before  whom  all  Parties  were  disarmed, 
that  we  wish  to  give  an  asylum  upon  French  soil. 
Being  unable  to  bring  back  his  body,  we  wish  at 
least  to  have  his  soul  among  us,  so  that  it  may  find 
its  home  here." 

M.  Arthur  Meyer  added  these  few  words  to  the 
above  :  "  It  was  in  the  office  of  the  '  Gaulois  '  that  the 
idea  of  raising  a   fund   originated  on   the   personal 


o 


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H  z  £  X 


THE  EMPRESS'S  GIFT  TO  PARIS      37 

initiative  of  M.  Tarbe.     To-day  it  has  become  some- 
thing of  a  national  work." 

By  the  6th  of  September  the  subscriptions  amounte'd 
to  over  ;^4430.  A  piece  of  land  (which  had  been  sold 
by  the  Ministry  of  War)  in  the  Avenue  de  la 
Bourdonnais  was  purchased,  and  on  it,  close  to 
the  house  No.  6,  a  little  "chapel,"  or  rather 
"temple,"  was  erected  by  the  architect  Destailleurs. 
M.  d'Epinay  made  a  bronze  bust,  to  be  placed  on  a 
pedestal  in  the  little  "  temple."  Eleven  years  passed, 
and  the  pedestal  had  not  been  completed.  The 
bust  had  been  executed  several  years  previously, 
and  remained  in  the  house  No.  6,  next  to  the  residence 
of  the  Comte  de  Poix.  There  appears  to  have  been 
some  apprehension  lest  "  roughs  "  should  overturn, 
or  steal,  the  bust,  or  in  some  way  damage  it.  So 
matters  apparently  remained  when  the  whole  subject 
came  up  for  discussion  in  January,  19 14,  consequent 
upon  the  Empress's  acquisition  of  land  at  La  Mal- 
maison,  whither  the  "  temple  "  and  the  bust  have  been 
removed. 

The  Empress's  simple  intentions  in  19 14  were  singu- 
larly misinterpreted  by  some  Paris  journals,  and  the 
mistakes  reappeared  in  London  papers.  It  was  said 
that  her  Majesty  desired  to  have  the  "  tomb  "  of  the 
Prince  Imperial  taken  from  the  Imperial  Mausoleum 
at  St  Michael's,  Farnborough,  to  the  Malmaison ! 
One  paper  boldly  spoke  of  the  intended  removal  of 
"  the  Prince's  mausoleum." 


CHAPTER  V 

JEAN  BAPTISTE  FRANCESCHINI   PIETRI 

Died  December  14,  1915 

On  the  coffin  lid,  in  large  gilded  raised  letters,  was 
inscribed  :  "  Franceschini  Pietri.  Aged  82."  Pietri 
was  his  mother's  maiden  name.  In  private  documents 
he  signed  *'  Jean  Baptiste  Franceschini."  The 
London  papers,  in  recording  his  death,  described 
him  as  the  "  son  of  that  Prefect  of  Police  in  Paris 
who,  on  September  4,  1870,  rushed  into  the  Tuileries 
crying  :  '  We  cannot  resist.  .  .  .  The  one  hope  for  her 
Majesty  lies  in  immediate  flight.'  "  Other  accounts 
stated  that  the  deceased  accompanied  the  Empress 
on  her  flight  from  Paris  to  England.  He  was  not 
the  son  of  any  Prefect  of  Paris  :  he  was  the  nephew 
of  two  Prefects,  both  Pietris.  When  the  Empress 
crossed  the  Channel  in  Sir  John  Burgoyne's  yacht, 
M.  Pietri  was  with  the  Emperor,  the  prisoner  of  the 
Emperor  William  I.,  at  Wilhelmshohe.  These  are 
the  facts,  as  opposed  to  the  newspaper  fictions. 

The  Lord  Abbot,  the  Very  Reverend  Dom  Cabrol, 
officiated  at  the  High  Requiem  Mass  which  was  cele- 
brated in  the  Abbey  Church,  on  December  17,  at 
half-past  ten.  The  deacon  was  the  Rev.  Pere  Boudot, 
and  the  subdeacon  the  Rev.  Pere  Cluzel.  A  dozen 
members  of  the  Benedictine  community  assisted,  all 
these  wearing  the  black  robes  of  the  order.     There 

38 


Till-;   I.ATK   M.    KkAN(KS(  MINI    I'lKTKI,    WHO    r)lKI>   Al 
TIIK  KmI'KKSS  KI'CKMK's   KKSIDKNt'K,    l"'AKNl«1Kl»lt;il 

Mil. I.,  IN  1913.     IIk  was  srccKssiVEi.v  Skcrkiaky 

01     NaI'OI.KoN    III,    TIIK    I'RINCK    ImI'KRIAI.   AND  THK 

KmI'RKSS.         Hk     KNKW     All.    TIIK    .SK(   RKTS     1>K     TIIK 

SkcONI)     KmI'IRK.     AM>    was    TIIK     K\1I'RKS>>'>    CONM 

DAN  I     1   NTH.    II 1^    DKAIII,    AdKD    S2 


FRANCESCHINI    PIETRI  39 

was  no  instrumental  music.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
Mass  the  Lord  Abbot,  the  priests  and  the  whole  of 
the  congregation  walked  in  procession  through  the 
shrubbery  and  the  monks'  cemetery  to  the  grave, 
where  the  concluding  portions  of  the  service  were  said 
by  Dom  Cabrol.  Immediately  behind  the  coffin 
(which  had  been  placed  in  the  crypt,  the  Imperial 
Mausoleum,  on  Wednesday,  and  there  remained  until 
the  day  of  the  burial,  when  it  was  taken  into  the  church) 
walked  H.I.H.  Prince  Napoleon.  Next  came  the 
deceased's  niece,  Mile  Baciocchi  *  and  the  other 
mourners  and  friends.  When  the  Lord  Abbot's  final 
words  had  been  said  all  present  sprinkled  holy  water 
on  the  coffin.  Prince  Napoleon  being  the  first  and  the 
Empress's  chauffeur  the  last  to  do  so.  The  grave, 
which  was  lined  with  laurel  leaves,  is  close  to  the 
church,  near  the  entrance  to  the  crypt.  Three 
invalided  British  soldiers  were  spectators  of  the  burial. 
They  had  walked  over  from  Farnborough  Court, 
the  property  of  the  Benedictines,  who  had  generously 
devoted  it  to  the  use  of  wounded  and  invalided  soldiers. 
In  the  autumn  of  19 15  the  Lord  Abbot  placed  the 
"  Court  "  at  the  disposal  of  the  Government. 

Not  more  than  about  fifty  persons,  all  told,  attended 
the  obsequies.  Among  them,  besides  Prince  Napo- 
leon, I  recognised  the  Due  de  Peneranda  (brother 
of  the  Due  d'Albe,  one  of  whose  predecessors  was  the 
husband  of  the  Empress's  only  sister),  the  Comte  de 
Mora  and  his  wife  (nee  De  Lesseps),  Miss  Vaughan 
(niece  of  the  late  Mme  de  Arcos  and  daughter  of  that 

*  Elise  Baciocchi  was  a  cousin  of  Napoleon  III.  Comte 
Baciocchi  held  a  high  position  at  the  Imperial  Court,  and  his 
wife  left  a  very  handsome  legacy  to  the  Prince  Imperial ;  the 
gift  (landed  property)  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Empress. 


40     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

lady's  sister),  Mrs  Blount  (nee  De  Bassano),  Mile  de 
Bassompierre  (Princess  Napoleon's  dame  d'honneur), 
Mme  d'Attainville,  Mile  Gaubert  (who  dispenses 
the  Empress's  bounties),  Sir  Thomas  Lipton  (on 
board  whose  yacht  the  Empress  celebrated  one  of  her 
birthdays  cruising  in  the  Mediterranean  seven  or 
eight  years  ago),  Mr  Victor  Corkran  and  Mr  Edmon- 
ston  (representing  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg  and 
Princess  Christian,  intimate  friends  of  the  Empress 
since  her  arrival  in  England  in  the  autumn  of  1870), 
Miss  Dalrymple  and  Miss  Hollings  (two  of  the  Red 
Cross  nurses  attached  to  the  Benedictines'  hospital 
at  Farnborough  Court),  Mr  Hollings  (father  of  the 
last-mentioned  lady),  Dr  Smith  (the  French  doctor  who 
accompanied  M.  Pietri  on  his  last  journey  to  England 
from  Paris),  Colonel  Scott  (whose  brother,  Dr  Scott, 
embalmed  the  Prince  Imperial's  body  at  the  Cape  in 
1879),  and  M.  Pietri's  French  nurse. 

Princess  Napoleon,  much  to  her  regret,  was  unable 
to  attend  the  funeral ;  she  remained  with  the  Empress 
during  the  celebration  of  the  low  Mass  for  the  deceased 
in  her  Majesty's  Oratory  at  half -past  ten,  when  the 
officiant  was  the  Rev.  Pere  Eudine,  of  St  Michael's 
Abbey.  Shortly  after  the  obsequies  the  Princess, 
accompanied  by  the  Prince,  visited  the  grave. 

M.  Pietri  passed  for  a  wealthy  man. 

I  first  made  M.  Pietri's  acquaintance  at  Chislehurst. 
At  that  time  I  was  attached  to  the  "  Morning  Post  " 
staff  and  was  also  reading  for  the  Bar.  On  the  day 
of  the  Emperor's  death  I  hastened  to  Chislehurst 
and  had  an  interview  with  Pietri,  who  declined  to  give 
me  any  information  relating  to  the  Emperor's  death. 
But  the  venerable  Due  de  Bassano  was  very  communi- 
cative, so  that  I  was  fortunately  able  to  furnish  "  my 


FRANCESCHINI    PIETRI  41 

paper  "  with  a  fairly  complete  report  on  the  following 
day.  * 

I  was  in  frequent  corresponHence  with  M.  Pietri 
until  a  year  or  so  before  his  death.  Some  of  his 
letters  to  me  appear  in  the  two  works  here  referred  to. 
Both  have  been  largely  circulated  in  English-speaking 
countries,  and  are  still  in  demand  in  191 6.  An  edition, 
in  French,  of  the  first  of  these  books  will  be 
issued  by  MM.  Pierre  Lafitte  et  Cie.,  the  well-known 
Paris  publishers.  No  other  work  of  the  kind  has  been 
translated. 

M.  Pietri's  short,  sturdy  figure  was  not  very  familiar 
to  our  public,  although  he  had  lived  among  us,  off  and 
on,  since  early  in  1871.  He  passed  through  our 
streets  unrecognised,  save  by  a  very  few.  He  never 
showed  any  desire  to  mingle  with  London  society. 
He  was  absorbed  in  his  arduous  secretarial  duties, 
which  left  him  scant  leisure  for  recreation  of  any 
kind.  Many  who  had  never  before  set  eyes  upon  him 
saw  him  with  the  Empress  at  the  funeral  service 
for  Mme  de  Arcos  at  the  Jesuits'  Church,  in  Farm 
Street,  Berkeley  Square,  on  the  29th  of  November, 
191 3.  He  then  appeared  to  me  to  be  in  quite  good 
health.  It  was  only  in  19 15  that  his  friends  began  to 
be  anxious  about  him.  In  the  autumn  he  had  gone 
officially  to  Paris,  where  the  illness  began  which 
prevented  him  from  leaving  the  Hotel  Crillon  until 
towards  the  end  of  November.  Those  who  met  him 
on  his  arrival  at  Farnborough  saw  that  the  end  was 

*  In  my  previous  volumes,  "The  Empress  Eugenie  : 
1870 — 1910,"  and  "The  Comedy  and  Tragedy  of  the  Second 
Empire,"  will  be  found  the  full  story  of  the  lives  of  the  Imperial 
exiles.  Published  by  Harper  &  Brothers,  London  and  New 
York, 


42     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

approaching.  Upon  alighting  from  the  train  he 
insisted  upon  first  being  driven  to  St  Michael's  Abbey 
and  descending  to  the  crypt,  the  Imperial  Mausoleum, 
where  are  the  tombs  of  the  Emperor  and  the  Prince 
Imperial.  Before  them  he  knelt  and  prayed — then 
passed  on  to  his  home,  the  residence  of  the  Empress. 
He  had  so  weakened  that  it  was  necessary  to  support 
him  as  he  tottered  down  and  up  the  steps  in  the  crypt. 

In  1848,  just  before  the  Revolution,  Louis  Napo- 
leon, after  his  many  adventures,  returned  to  France. 
From  the  day  of  his  arrival  Mocquard  was  by  his  side, 
became  chef  du  cabinet  of  the  Prince-President, 
and  was  one  of  his  ablest  collaborators  in  the  pre- 
paration of  the  coup  d'etat  (December  2,  1851)  The 
then  Prefect  of  Police  was  M.  de  Maupas.  When 
the  Empire  was  made  Mocquard  retained  his  former 
position,  and  later  became  a  Senator  and  Grand  Officer 
of  the  Legion  d'Honneur.  For  some  years  before 
his  death  he  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  grands 
ecrivains  of  the  period  and  a  successful  dramatic 
author.  M.  Conti  (another  famous  figure  of  the 
Second  Empire)  succeeded  Mocquard  as  the  chief  of 
the  Emperor's  cabinet,  with  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred 
pounds  a  year  and  "  free  lodgings."  Conti  had 
neither  the  entrain  nor  the  brilliance  of  Mocquard. 

Before  Franceschini  Pietri  entered  the  Emperor's 
service  the  chef  de  cabinet  of  his  Majesty  was  that 
M.  Mocquard,  a  very  old  friend  of  Napoleon  III. 
In  1817,  thirty-five  years  before  the  nephew  of  the 
Great  Emperor  assumed  the  Imperial  dignity,  Moc- 
quard, while  "  travelling  on  business  in  Germany  " 
(I  take  this  to  mean  that  he  was  a  commercial  traveller), 
had  the  good  fortune  to  be  presented,  at  Arenenberg, 
to  Queen  Hortense,  mother  of  the  future  Emperor. 


FRANCESCHINI    PIETRI  43 

He  so  ingratiated  himself  with  the  royal  lady  that 
she  invited  him  to  visit  her  again,  and  thenceforth 
he  became  her  attached  friend  and  a  fervent  admirer 
of  her  then  comparatively  unknown  son,  Louis 
Napoleon.  Both  Mocquard  and  F.  Pietri  came,  in 
due  course,  in  close  contact  with  that  celebrated 
personage  the  Due  de  Morny,  who  was  the  illegitimate 
son  of  Queen  Hortense,  and  consequently  the  half- 
brother  of  Napoleon  III.  So  proud  was  De  Morny 
of  his  birth  that  he  had  "  hortensias  "  painted  on  the 
panels  of  his  carriage  in  lieu  of  a  coat  of  arms.  To 
put  an  end  to  this  scandal,  which  impaired  the  prestige 
of  the  dynasty,  the  Emperor  granted  his  relative 
a  new  coat  of  arms,  conditional  on  the  removal  of  the 
offending  emblem.  It  was  De  Morny  who,  when 
asked  how  he  contrived  to  get  into  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies,  replied  :  "  I  promised  all  who  voted  for 
me  an  eclipse  of  the  sun !  " 

Pietri  was  selected  by  M.  Mocquard  as  a  copyist  of 
documents.  Thus  he  had  often  occasion  to  approach 
his  Majesty,  whom  he  pleased  by  his  modest  and 
reserved  manner.  Becoming  private  secretary  of  the 
Emperor,  he  accompanied  his  Imperial  Majesty 
everywhere,  and  always,  even  to  Italy  during  the 
war  in  1859.  From  that  date  the  Emperor's  various 
ciphers  (chiffres)  were  given  into  his  charge;  he  was 
with  Napoleon  in  the  war  of  1870,  remained  with 
him  during  his  seven  months'  captivity  at  Wilhelms- 
hohe  (September,  1870 — March,  1871),  and  came  to 
England  with  the  deposed  Sovereign. 

Pietri's  life  until  1870  was  a  very  full  one.  He 
received  all  reports  and  dispatches,  and  answered 
them.  Typewriting  had  not  then  been  invented. 
He  lived  at  the  Tuileries,  and,  except  when  there  were 


44    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

balls  or  State  visits  to  the  opera  and  other  theatres, 
passed  the  whole  of  his  time  at  the  side  of  the  Emperor. 
His  heaviest  work  was  in  the  evening,  when  most 
of  the  important  dispatches  poured  in.  Pietri  lived 
tres  en  camarade  with  all  the  members  of  the  Imperial 
household,  of  whom  the  chief  was  the  late  Due  (then 
Marquis)  de  Conegliano,  whose  widow  was  surviving 
in  March  19 16.  Gay  and  amiable  as  Pietri  then 
was,  he  had  no  time  for  amusement.  He  had  only  at 
his  disposal  one  or  two  half-evenings  weekly  when  at 
the  Tuileries,  and  not  even  those  when  the  Emperor 
and  Empress  were  at  their  other  residences.  He 
retained  his  secretarial  functions  with  the  Emperor 
in  England,  then  with  the  Prince  Imperial  and 
Empress,  and  finally,  until  his  death,  with  the  Empress. 

The  historical  importance  of  Franceschini  Pietri 
has  never  been  recognised  by  the  English  Press.  He 
was  not,  I  think,  ever  made  the  subject  of  personal 
articles.  Not  to  put  too  fine  a  point  upon  it,  he  was 
regarded  as  a  nullity.  Of  the  English  "  interviewer  " 
he  had  a  horror;  but  he  surrendered  to  one  or  two 
French  journalists,  and  talked  with  them  upon  certain 
misrepresentations  of  the  Empress  which  had  appeared 
in  the  Paris  papers — never,  however,  in  the  "Figaro" 
or  the  "  Gaulois."  The  brief  paragraphs  published 
from  time  to  time  in  the  first-named  paper  were 
always  accurate,  because  they  were  communicated 
to  it  by  the  secretary  at  Farnborough  Hill.  The 
short  notices  of  his  death  were  all  more  or  less  inaccu- 
rate, some  of  them  absurdly  so,  even,  in  one  or  two 
cases,  to  the  misspelling  of  his  name  "  Pietrie." 

He  succeeded  in  surrounding  the  Empress  with 
a  screen.  *'  At  Palaces,"  wrote  the  late  Arminius 
Vambery  to  me  from  Budapest,  "  the  blinds  are  always 


FRANCESCHINI    PIETRI  45 

down."  They  were  certainly  seldom  "  up  "  either 
at  Chislehurst  or  at  Farnborough  Hill.  Pietri  once 
told  me  that  the  Empress  never  read  anything  which 
was  published  about  her.  But  that,  I  know,  was  not 
precisely  accurate.  I  heard  a  very  different  story 
from  at  least  one  who  was  for  years  a  most  intimate 
friend  of  the  Imperial  lady.  The  fact  remains, 
however,  that  Pietri  was  "  the  power  behind  the 
throne." 

M.  Filon  acknowledges  that  he  could  not  have 
produced  his  elaborate  "  Life  "  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
without  the  assistance  of  his  devoted  collaborators, 
Franceschini  Pietri  and  the  Abbe  Misset  (of  Paris). 
Pietri's  "  unexampled  fidelity  made  him  for  more 
than  half  a  century  the  witness  of  the  intimate 
existence  and  the  confidant  of  the  thoughts  of  the 
Imperial  family,  and  was  my  guide  "  in  matters 
relating  to  the  later  years  of  the  young  Prince.  The 
Empress  and  Pietri  endeavoured  to  dissuade  him 
from  going  to  the  Cape.  Pietri  offered  to  accompany 
the  Prince  on  his  fatal  journey,  but  he  would  take 
no  one  with  him  except  his  valet,  Uhlmann,  who 
died  at  Farnborough  Hill  a  few  years  ago. 

The  Prince,  we  are  reminded  by  M.  Filon,  spent  his 
last  night  at  Camden  Place,  Chislehurst,  on  February 
26-27,  1879.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th  Pietri 
entered  the  Prince's  room  very  early.  The  Prince 
handed  him  his  will,  which  he  had  dated  and  signed, 
and  Pietri  placed  the  document  in  an  iron  box,  which 
the  secretary  locked  and  sealed,  taking  charge  of 
the  key.  The  Prince  then  went  to  the  little  Church 
of  St  Mary  (Baron  Tristan  Lambert  accompanying 
him),  and  received  from  Monsignor  Goddard,  another 
devoted  friend,  his  last  Communion  in  England.     All 


46     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

those  named  travelled  to  Southampton  with  the  Prince 
and  saw  him  depart  for  the  Cape. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  April  the  Prince  wrote  to  Pietri 
explaining  his  future  movements  with  our  troops.  "  I 
have  just  returned  from  a  reconnaissance,"  he  said. 
"  We  were  absent  six  days.  There  have  been  shots 
on  both  sides,  but  nothing  serious.  We  remained 
in  the  saddle  twenty  hours  of  the  twenty-four." 

When  the  body  was  brought  to  Woolwich  Prince 
Murat  placed  in  the  coffin  a  religious  medal  and 
Pietri  deposited  in  it  a  medal  (struck  during  the 
Imperial  reign)  bearing  on  one  side  an  effigy  of  the 
Prince  in  his  infancy.  The  medal  had  been  given 
to  Pietri  by  the  Emperor.  The  secretary  then  kissed 
the  forehead  of  the  young  victim  of  the  Zulus' 
assegais  (as  did  Monsignor  Goddard),  and  the  coffin 
was  closed  and  taken  to  Chislehurst.  The  Empress 
never  saw  the  remains  of  her  son.     Why.'* 

The  Empress's  late  secretary  was  only  thirty-seven 
when  he  accompanied  his  Imperial  master  from  Sedan 
to  Wilhelmshohe.  General  Count  von  Monts,  *  who 
was  in  charge  of  the  captive  Sovereign,  writes : 
"  Of  Corsican  origin  and  cousin  [nephew]  of  the 
former  Prefet  of  Police  in  Paris,  M.  Franceschini 
Pietri,  as  private  secretary,  was  in  the  closest  contact 
with  the  Emperor.  To  him  were  confided  those  of 
his  Majesty's  letters  which  required  special  attention. 
His  services  were  naturally  of  the  greatest  value  to  the 
Emperor,  for  no  one  else  was  kept,  as  Pietri  was, 
au  courant  of  everything.  He  seldom  left  the 
Emperor's  ante-chamber,  which  he  had  arranged  as 
a  little  office.  Here  he  was  at  his  master's  beck  and 
call  day  and  night.  If  he  was  engaged  with  the 
♦  Vide  Chapter  XVII. 


FRANCESCHINI   PIETRI  47 

Emperor  when  I  arrived  Pietri  hastily  gathered 
up  his  papers  and  left  the  room.  I  seldom  had 
occasion  to  speak  with  him,  but  he  gave  me  the 
impression  of  a  man  faithfully  devoted  to  the  Emperor. 
He  continued  to  show  himself  devoted  to  the  Imperial 
family,  for  he  followed  Napoleon  III.  to  England, 
and  after  the  Emperor's  death  he  remained  in  the 
service  of  the  Empress." 

Early  in  March,  187 1,  a  fortnight  or  so  before 
the  Emperor's  release  from  captivity,  a  great  sensation 
was  caused  at  Versailles  (the  headquarters  of  the 
German  Emperor,  as  King  William  had  become 
in  the  previous  January)  and  Berlin  by  the  publication 
of  a  "  Petition  of  the  French  Army,"  which  was 
widely  circulated.  "  It  seemed,"  says  General  Monts, 
"  to  have  been  drawn  up  by  the  French  officers  who 
were  interned  in  Germany.  At  the  headquarters 
at  Versailles  the  document  was  supposed  to  have 
emanated  from  Wilhelmshohe,  and  it  was  sent  to  me 
in  order  that  I  might  discover  the  authors.  It  was 
absolutely  in  our  interest,  and  even,  I  may  say,  in  that 
of  all  Europe,  to  nip  in  the  bud  everything  which 
might  produce  complications.  My  investigations 
showed  that  Pietri  was  one  of  the  principal  authors 
of  the  petition."  All  that  apparently  happened  was 
that  Monts  ordered  the  Director  of  Telegraphs  to 
send  him,  in  future,  copies  of  all  telegrams  dispatched 
from  Wilhelmshohe. 

Franceschini  Pietri's  uncle,  the  former  Prefet,  called 
upon  Monts  at  Cassel,  giving  his  name  as  "  Polloni." 
He  had  such  a  common  appearance  that  Monts 
"  thought  him  a  sort  of  domestic.  .  .  .  M.  Pietri 
was,  however,  an  amiable  man  of  the  world,  of  perfect 
manners,   intelligent,   erudite,   with   whom   it   was   a 


48     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

pleasure  to  converse.  .  .  .  The  Emperor  had  evidently 
long  been  expecting  to  see  him.  Pietri  often  left  and 
returned.  Probably  the  Emperor  had  sent  him  on 
confidential  missions."* 

*  "  La  Captivity  de  Napoleon   III.  en   Allemag-ne."     Par  le 
General  Comte  C.  de  Monts.     Paris  :  Pierre  Lafitte  et  Cie. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

By  an  intimate  surviving  Friend,  who  lived  with  them 
for  many  years 

[Prefatory  Note. — Soon  after  the  death  of  the 
Prince  Imperial  in  Zululand  certain  French  writers  of 
repute  accused  the  Empress  of  having  treated  her 
son  in  so  unmotherly  a  manner  that,  to  escape  from  the 
restrictions  imposed  upon  him  at  Chislehurst,  he 
sought,  and  finally  obtained,  the  permission  of  the 
Queen  and  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  (the  Commander- 
in-Chief)  to  join  our  forces  in  Zululand,  not  as  a 
combatant,  but  merely,  in  the  written  instructions 
of  the  Duke,  "as  a  spectator."  He  was,  however, 
allowed  to  wear  our  uniform.  On  the  ist  of  June, 
1879,  he  accompanied  a  handful  of  our  men  on  a 
reconnoitring  expedition.  The  Zulus  surprised  the 
party,  and  the  Prince  was  killed.  Stories  were 
published  to  the  effect  that  the  Empress  had  kept  the 
Prince  so  short  of  money  that,  on  one  occasion,  when 
he  had  entertained  two  or  three  friends  at  dinner  at  a 
West  End  hotel,  he  was  unable  to  pay  the  bill,  which 
was  settled  by  the  well-known  Comte  Fleury. 

The  perfect  harmony  of  the  relations  between 
the  Empress  and  her  son  is  here  shown  authoritatively 
for  the  first  time.  The  statement  is  comprised  in 
the  mass  of  interesting  "  papers  "  of  the  late 
Monsignor  Goddard,  who  was  the  Almoner  of  the 
D  49 


50     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Empress  until  she  left  Chislehurst  for  Farnborough 
Hill,  and  who  was  necessarily  well  acquainted  with 
the  writer  of  this  historical  fragment.  All  the  Mon- 
signor's  "papers"  (documents)  were  placed  in  my 
hands  by  his  family,  the  letters  written  to  the  priest  by 
the  Empress  and  the  Prince  Imperial  included. — E.  L.] 

What  were  the  motives  which  brought  about  the 
grave  and  sudden  decision  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
to  take  part  in  the  war  in  Zululand — a  decision  which 
led  to  his  heroic  death  at  Ityoyosi?  I  will  divide 
the  reasons  into  three  groups  :  (i)  the  Prince's  char- 
acter, (2)  his  patriotism,  and  (3)  the  military  and 
English  circle  in  which  he  lived  when,  with  the  force 
of  a  thunderbolt,  the  news  reached  London  of  the 
defeat  at  Isandula  and  the  horrible  massacre  which 
succeeded  it — news  which  caused  in  England  and 
in  the  army  a  display  of  emotion  difficult  to  realise 
in  France,  but  which,  without  exaggeration,  may  be 
compared  with  that,  less  the  feeling  of  personal  and 
immediate  peril,  caused  in  Paris  by  the  glorious  defeat 
of  Reichshofen  in  1870. 

I  know  of  no  other  motives  except  these  three; 
believe  me  when  I  say  that  no  others  exist.  To  seek 
for  other  causes — inaccurate,  futile  or  romantic — for 
a  decision  so  grave  taken  by  the  Prince  Imperial, 
who  was  fully  aware  of  his  great  responsibilities  and 
duties,  would  be  to  disagree  with  those  who  study 
events  with  truth,  without  passion  and  with  the  resolve 
to  sweep  aside  the  torrent  of  imaginative  stories 
which  never  fails  to  flow  after  an  event  so  unexpected, 
so  sad  and  so  great. 

The  Prince  Imperial's  decision  to  go  to  the  Cape 
was  brought  about  in  the  first  place  by  his  character. 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON     51 

He  was,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  a  Christian 
and  French  chevalier.  A  Napoleon,  he  loved  glory, 
and  from  his  earliest  youth  his  taste  led  him  to  study 
military  questions.  ,The  blood  which  he  inherited 
from  his  mother,  one  of  the  ancient  and  illustrious 
ducal  race  of  the  Guzmans,  gave  him  the  love  of 
chivalry  and  heroic  enterprises.  As  a  child,  nothing 
gave  him  greater  delight  than  military  reviews  and 
his  visits  to  the  camp  at  Chalons,  where  he  was  in  the 
midst  of  our  army.  As  a  youth,  he  was  in  the  thick  of 
it  in  1870,  displaying  his  sang-froid  and  courage  in 
the  first  engagement  (that  at  Saarbriicken),  not  a 
very  considerable  one,  but  having  a  successful  result. 
He  was  the  deeply  grieved  witness  of  our  first  reverses, 
and  his  sorrows  were  increased  by  the  defeats  of  our 
forces,  his  separation  from  his  parents,  and  by  exile. 

As  a  young  man,  he  studied  the  art  of  war  in  the 
principal  artillery  school  in  England.  He  witnessed 
with  passionate  admiration,  and  with  bitterness  at 
his  powerlessness  to  imitate  them,  the  debuts  of  his 
greatest  friends  in  the  ranks  of  the  British  army. 
He  loved  and  sought  out  danger  for  himself,  but  he 
would  never  have  exposed  others  to  it,  nor  would  he 
ever  have  abandoned  anyone.  French,  profoundly 
French,  the  Prince  Imperial  was  deeply  imbued  with 
this  truth — that  the  egotistical  and  sterile  debates  of 
parliaments  have  never  saved  nations. 

He  felt  that  when  the  hour  of  supreme  crisis  arrived 
his  energy  would  enable  him  to  crush  the  revolutionary 
evil  which,  under  the  name  of  the  Republic,  leads 
France  to  the  tomb.  He  desired  to  conquer  by  a 
glorious  deed  of  arms  the  renown  necessary  for  him 
to  command,  one  day,  those  who  would  have  resolved 
to  save  the  country  at  the  risk  of  their  lives.     The  base 


52     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

calumnies  of  revolutionary  pamphlets  and  newspapers 
did  not  leave  him  indifferent  to  their  effect.  He 
felt  himself  superior  to  their  venom,  but  he  wished  to 
acquire  the  incontestable  glory  of  some  heroic  action 
to  enable  him  the  better  to  confound  them. 

England,  in  which  he  lived,  had  felt  an  immense 
emotion  at  the  news  of  the  first  disasters  at  the  Cape. 
Young  officers,  his  companions  at  Woolwich,  sailed 
gleefully  for  the  campaign  in  Zululand,  preparing 
themselves  for  it  before  his  eyes.  He  listened  to 
them  as  one  in  a  dream.  One  day  his  ardent  tem- 
perament forced  him  to  imitate  them.  Unknown  to 
all,  not  even  telling  the  Empress  until  he  had  taken 
the  decisive  step,  in  order  to  spare  her  alarm  and  to 
avoid  the  obstacles  which  her  tender  anxiety  for  her 
son  might  have  put  in  his  way,  he  asked,  as  an  honour, 
to  be  allowed  to  go  to  South  Africa  and  share  the 
fatigues  and  dangers  of  those  who  had  been  his 
companions  at  the  Royal  Military  Academy.  His 
persistence,  his  charm,  the  regrets  that  the  first 
refusals  of  his  request  caused  him,  triumphed  over 
all  difficulties,  and  the  departure  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
was  decided  upon. 

I  have  narrated  the  three  motives  which  determined 
his  departure  for  the  Cape.  There  are  no  others 
which,  in  my  opinion,  deserve  examination.  I 
opposed  his  generous,  but  hazardous,  resolution  with 
all  my  power,  but  without  the  slightest  appearance  of 
success. 

You  ask  me  to  give  you  my  sincere  impression 
respecting  the  relations  which  existed  between  the 
Prince  and  the  Empress,  between  the  son  and  the 
mother.  In  all  truth,  on  both  sides  they  were  char- 
acterised   by    the    dee-pest    affection;     a    deferential 


i;  w  :; 

"  ?  i 

<  5  a 

X  -J  t,   O 

2  ~  -  00 

<  r  S  ,r 

^  O  3  S 


D  ui  "^  a 

o  .•  r  K 

a  a  x  ,. 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON     53 

tenderness  on  the  part  of  the  Prince,  a  passionate 
tenderness  on  the  part  of  his  mother. 

I  lived  with  them  for  many  years,  and  I  never  saw 
anything  but  the  affectionate  respect,  manifested  with 
the  tact  of  a  perfect  gentleman,  which  was  the 
Prince's  distinctive  characteristic.  I  never  saw  any- 
thing but  the  ardent  and  passionate  affection  shown 
by  the  Empress  which  adorned  this  triple  character : 
that  affection  of  the  mother  for  her  son,  that  unique 
love  for  her  son  of  the  woman  who  had  lost  everything 
else,  the  affection  of  the  Sovereign  for  the  last  hope 
of  her  Dynasty. 

The  Prince  Imperial  enjoyed  in  everj^hing  the 
fullest  liberty;  he  never  misused  it,  and  nothing 
tarnished  the  admirable  dignity  of  his  life.  None 
of  the  divergences  or  discussions  which  might  arise 
between  two  equally  ardent  natures  ever  appeared 
to  me  to  be  serious  :  they  never  exceeded  the  limits 
of  the  disquieting  and  jealous  tenderness  of  a  mother 
who  has  nothing  in  the  world  but  her  son,  and  which 
sometimes  led  her  involuntarily  to  forget  that  she 
had  before  her  not  a  child,  but  a  man — a  mother  who 
would  remove  from  his  path  all  dangers  and  all 
intrigues.  On  the  other  side  was  the  impatient  feeling 
of  the  young  man  who,  conscious  of  his  strength, 
regarded  as  useless  the  solicitude  an'd  the  precautions 
accumulated  by  the  mother's  alarmed  affection. 

I  wish  all  mothers  had  a  son  as  affectionate,  as 
deferential,  and  as  tender  as  was  the  Prince  Imperial. 
I  wish  all  sons  could  be  watched  over  and  loved 
by  an  affection  as  ardent  and  profound  as  was  that 
of  the  Empress.  I  have  seen  her  at  the  bedside  of 
her  son  when  he  was  ill,  and  seldom  have  I  witnessed 
a    more   touching   spectacle.     No    young    man   ever 


54     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

led  a  more  reputable  existence;  none  occasioned 
less  chagrin  to  those  who  loved  him;  none  better 
deserved  regret  and  respect. 

A  profound  Catholic,  a  worthy  godson  of  the 
immortal  and  saintly  Pius  IX.,  his  last  visit  on  English 
soil  was  to  that  little  church  at  Chislehurst  in  which 
[roj^m*-  his  father  reposed,  and  to  which(jJalone  accompanied 
<j  him  when,  on  the  26th  of  February,  1879,  an  hour 
before  his  departure  for  the  Cape,  he  repaired  thither 
at  dawn  to  receive  his  God.  His  filial  affection  led 
him  also,  while  he  yet  stood  upon  English  soil,  to 
bestow  his  last  look  and  his  last  embrace  upon  his 
mother,  whose  tears  and  grievous  swoons  seemed  to 
prophesy  the  coming  catastrophe. 

Often  it  is  the  proper  character  of  great  dramas  to 
be  devoid  of  mysteries  anH  secrets  and  of  all  similitude 
of  romance.  Believe  me,  it  is  this  character  of  simple 
grandeur  and  of  noble  and  serene  tranquillity  which 
marked  the  resolves  taken  by  the  Prince  Imperial. 
As  to  his  life,  it  was  as  limpid  and  pure  as  water  from 
the  crystal  rock,  and  it  was  with  the  fullest  truth  and 
justice  that  Cardinal  Manning,  when  preaching  his 
funeral  sermon  at  Chislehurst  on  the  day  following 
the  obsequies,  was  able  to  hold  him  up  as  an  example 
to  all  Christians,  as  a  model  of  virtue  to  all  young 
people,  and  of  heroism  to  all  soldiers.  In  his  last 
prayer  he  offered  himself  as  a  sacrifice  to  God  for  the 
welfare  of  all.  He  concluded  one  of  the  few  political 
addresses  which  he  made  with  the  words  :  "  May 
God  watch  over  France  and  restore  her  prosperity 
and  her  greatness  !  " 

It  often  happens  that  the  most  tender-hearted 
people  display  a  complete  lack  of  pity  for  others 
when  they  themselves  are  overwhelmed  by  their  own 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON     55 

sorrows.  The  Empress  Eugenie  is  not  one  of  these. 
She  has  always  the  same  compassion  for  the  unfortun- 
ate and  grief-stricken.  She  who  when  on  the  throne 
was  the  personification  of  charity,  the  good  angel 
of  the  humble,  shows  in  exile  that  her  benevolence 
was  not  a  service  practised  for  reasons  of  policy, 
but  very  real  and  abiding.  Ever  since,  forty-five 
years  ago,  she  found  an  asylum  in  England,  all  who 
have  knocked  at  her  door  and  appealed  for  help 
have  been  succoured.  Often  they  have  not  even 
had  to  ask.  One  winter,  a  Frenchwoman,  living 
at  Chislehurst,  was  about  to  become  a  mother.  She 
was  very  badly  off,  but  her  pride  would  not  have 
allowed  her  to  accept  alms.  Learning  of  the  circum- 
stances, the  Empress  made,  with  her  own  hands, 
a  complete  layette,  and  sent  it  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  poor  creature  was  led  to  regard  the  gift  as  a  little 
compliment  from  one  woman  to  another. 

Another  time  the  Empress  considerably  helped 
a  family  of  Communistic  refugees.  Someone  remon- 
strated with  her  for  assisting  "  those  wretches,"  but 
the  Empress  replied  :  "  Neither  the  mother  nor  the 
child  is  responsible  for  the  faults  of  the  father." 

This  pleasure,  this  necessity  of  giving,  continued 
to  be  also  the  characteristic  of  the  Emperor  during 
his  life  at  Chislehurst.  When  he  strolled  across 
the  common  he  gave  to  all  who  asked,  as  he  had  done 
at  Fontainebleau,  at  Compiegne,  and  at  St  Cloud. 

It  passes  comprehension  that  anyone  capable  of 
putting  his  ideas  on  paper  should  have  endeavoured 
to  seriously  associate  the  death  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
with  the  machinations  of  foreign  Freemasons !  To 
the  Due  d'Orleans  the  craft  which  was  held  in  such 


56     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

high  estimation  by  King  Edward  is,  we  know, 
"  anathema  maranatha,"  for  the  grandson  of  Louis 
Philippe  has  often  denounced  it  in  the  bitterest  terms 
in  those  encyclicals  with  which  he  revived  the  hopes 
of  his  followers  from  time  to  time  until  the  outbreak 
of  war  in  19 14.  And  it  was  in  a  Royalist — that  is  to 
say  an  Orleanist — ^journal  that  I  found  this  reference 
to  the  detested  "  crimes  magonniques  "  and  the  Prince 
Imperial : 

"  It  is  religion  which  is  the  constant  object  of  their 
murderous  attacks,  because  a  people  has  never 
survived  its  religion,  and  it  is  by  killing  religion  that 
the  Brethren  will  have  at  their  mercy  the  law  and 
property,  and  will  be  able  to  establish  upon  their 
debris  Masonic  religion,  Masonic  law,  and  Masonic 
property. 

"  Well,  is  this  man  (this  Freemason)  capable  of 
assassination?  Assuredly  he  is,  and  it  would  be 
madness  to  attempt  to  deny  it.  In  the  long  series 
of  crimes  which  form  its  history  Freemasonry  has 
always  acted  in  one  of  the  following  manners  vis-a-vis 
princes  or  powerful  personages  who  trouble  it.  The 
man  who  had  entered  into  engagements  vis-a-vis 
such  personages,  and  who  failed  to  carry  them  out 
to  the  bitter  end,  was  doomed.  The  man  who,  while 
submitting  to  the  yoke  of  the  sect,  was  thought  capable 
of  deserting  it,  had  to  perish.     Example  :  Gambetta. 

"  When  a  Prince  was  the  sole  representative  of  the 
future  of  his  dynasty,  and  when  he  was  known  to  have 
resolved  to  combat  the  secret  societies.  Masonic 
justice  immediately  decreed  his  death.  It  is  this  which 
happened  to  the  Due  de  Berri,  and,  in  our  opinion, 
to  the  Prince  Imperial. 


EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON     57 

"  A  profound  Catholic,  the  Prince  Imperial  knew 
a  fond  the  dangers  and  the  perfidious  designs  of 
Freemasonry  and  the  secret  sects.  He  had  resolved 
to  crush  them  and  to  rid  France  of  this  occult  domina- 
tion— international,  or  rather  sans  patrie,  and  so 
dangerous.  When  he  was  only  fifteen  he  had  pro- 
mised one  of  his  friends  (Baron  Tristan  Lambert) 
he  would  never  give  to  any  of  these  sects  the  slightest 
acquiescence.  The  Prince  Imperial  was  the  only 
son  of  Napoleon  III.,  and  he  personified  the  Imperial 
Monarchy,  the  Napoleonic  legend.  Has  Freemasonry 
done  for  the  Prince  Imperial  that  which  it  did  for  the 
Due  de  Berri?  This  will  be  the  subject  of  our 
investigation." 


CHAPTER  VII 

M.  FILON'S  "LIFE" 

In  the  summer  of  1912  M.  Augustin  Filon's  "Life" 
of  the  Prince  Imperial  *  was  published,  and  my  review 
of  it  in  the  "Pall  Mall  Gazette"  of  July  8  was  the 
first  to  appear  in  this  country.  That  criticism  may 
well  be  reproduced  here  : 

Placing  some  of  her  son's  letters  in  M.  Filon's  hands, 
the  Empress  said  :  "  Je  vous  confie  ce  que  j'ai  de 
plus  precieux  au  monde.  Je  ne  vous  donnerait  qu'un 
conseil :  gardez  toute  votre  liberte  d'ecrivain." 
M.  Filon  tells  us  he  has  done  so,  and  that  what  he 
has  written  came  from  his  memory  and  his  con- 
science, and  that  he  has  endeavoured  to  set  down  the 
truth.  I  have  no  doubt  whatsoever  about  his  accur- 
acy; for,  with  some  few  exceptions,  all  that  is 
contained  in  his  sumptuous  volume  of  two  hundred 
and  seventy-six  pages,  beautifully  produced,  and 
charmingly  and  lavishly  illustrated,  is  familiar  to  me. 
The  talented  author  has  had  the  advantage  of  seeing 
the  Prince  Imperial's  letters  to  his  mother.  Moreover, 
he  was  for  many  years  the  boy's  tutor,  and  remained 
his  devoted  friend  to  the  last.  He  was,  therefore, 
the  precise  man  for  the  task  which  he  has  fulfilled,  to, 
I  am  sure,  the  complete  satisfaction  of  the  Imperial 
lady  and  her  legion  of  friends  in  all  countries. 

*"Le  Prince  Imperial:  Souvenirs  et  Documents,  1856 — 1879." 
Ouvrage  lUustrd.  Par  Augustin  Filon.  Paris  :  Hachette  et 
Cie.     Price  2of. 

58 


M.  FILON'S  "LIFE"  59 

It  is  doing  only  bare  justice  to  M.  Filon  to  acknow- 
ledge that  he  has  traced  the  Prince's  career  with  the 
utmost  particularity.  He  begins  of  his  own  know- 
ledge from  1867,  when  he  entered  upon  his  duties, 
until  1879;  and  reliable  persons  have  furnished  him 
with  the  details  of  the  period  between  1856  until  the 
year  he  became  the  youth's  preceptor.  Many  writers, 
of  course,  have  devoted  themselves  to  narrating 
incidents  of  the  Prince's  life.  Comte  d'Herisson 
and  M.  Deleage  have  recorded  the  events  in  Zululand 
— the  former  in  an  unofficial,  yet  graphic,  manner. 
But  it  is  to  M.  Filon's  book  that  we  must  turn  for 
absolute  facts — so  far  as  he  has  been  authorised  to 
record  them.  There  are  disputed  points  to  which, 
as  might  have  been  expected,  he  does  not  refer. 
They  have  been  treated  by  the  friends  of  "  Napoleon 
IV."  as  "  commerages."  The  Empress  has  herself 
publicly  stigmatised  them  as  "  lies  " ;  and  I  gave 
them  the  first  authoritative  denial  in  the  "  Pall  Mall 
Gazette  "  at  the  moment  they  were  appearing  in  the 
newspapers  here  and  abroad. 

All  that  M.  Filon  tells  us  about  the  Prince  between 
the  date  of  his  birth  (1856)  and  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  in  1870  will  have  greater  interest  for  the  French 
readers  whom  he  primarily  addresses  than  for  the 
English  public.  The  wanderings  of  the  Emperor 
and  his  son  between  the  end  of  July  and  September 
4,  1870,  have  been  described  by  English  writers — 
some,  generally  speaking,  accurately;  others  less 
correctly-  In  M.  Filon's  volume  all  this  part  of 
their  Odyssey  is  narrated  with  as  much  exactitude 
as  possible.  The  pluck  under  fire  at  Saarbriicken 
(August  2)  of  this  child  of  fourteen  years  and  four 
months  was  amazing.     As  one  who  assisted  at  the 


6o     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

"  baptism  of  fire  "  I  can  testify  the  same.  As  the 
Emperor  and  his  son  were  about  to  start  for  the  front, 
says  M.  Filon,  a  small  black  portmanteau,  similar 
to  that  with  which  every  sous-lieutenant  was  provided, 
was  taken  into  the  Prince's  room.  "  Voila  ma 
cantine,"  he  said  to  Filon;  "  all  my  things  must  be 
got  into  it."  The  Empress  saw  them  off  to  Metz — 
saw  "  the  pale  and  pensive  face  of  her  husband  and 
the  enthusiastic  and  gay  countenance  of  her  son." 
Concealing  her  face  with  her  hands,  the  wife  and 
mother  wept  as  the  train  disappeared.  In  a  postscript 
to  a  letterwritten  to  M.  Filon  by  the  Prince  immediately 
after  the  hot  fight  (for  such  it  was)  at  Saarbriicken, 
he  said,  "  All  the  bands  played  the  '  Marseillaise  ' ; 
it  was  splendid.  The  Prussians  heard  it,  but  it  could 
not  have  comforted  them." 

Three  or  four  days  before  the  crowning  disaster 
(September  i),  the  Prince  was  sent  by  his  father  with 
his  suite  into  Sedan,  where,  even  on  August  28,  the 
people  were  panic-stricken.  When  the  Prince  was 
told  that  he  would  have  to  leave  the  town  and  go  to 
Avesnes,  he  flatly  refused.  "  The  Prussians  are 
coming?  Well,  we  will  defend  ourselves  !  "  Finally 
he  was  induced  to  leave,  and  was  taken  to  Avesnes. 
While  the  battle  was  in  progress  the  Emperor's  little 
son  went  for  a  drive — the  last  he  ever  took  in  his  native 
country. 

Those  who  have  studied  the  campaign  of  1870  will 
remember  that,  after  the  defeats  in  August,  the  Emperor 
wished  to  return  to  Paris  with  a  sufficient  force  to 
protect  the  capital.  MacMahon  agreed  with  him. 
The  Empress  strongly  objected,  for  (M.  Filon  tells 
us)  she  considered  her  husband  and  her  son  would 
be  safest  in  the  midst  of  the  army,  "  no  matter  what 


The  Emi'kkss  El(;i';.mk  i.n  iikr  "  Due"  cakkia(;i;.     The  PkIxNck 
Imperial  on    his   pony,    "Bout<in    d'Or."     Pkinck   Murat   in 

I'MKOKM 


The  Kmi'eror  Napoleon  III  and  the  I'rin*  e 
Imperial  in  the  "Due"'  carkiace 


M.  FILON'S  "LIFE"  6i 

might  happen."  General  de  Palikao,  Minister  for 
War,  was  also  opposed  to  the  return  to  the  capital  of 
the  Emperor;  and  the  Emperor  was  compelled  (the 
word  is  not  too  strong,  as  M.  Emile  Ollivier  has  often 
declared)  to  remain  with  his  vanquished  and  dispirited 
legions,  with  the  result  that  he  personally  surrendered 
to  King  William,  who  was  the  more  surprised,  as  he, 
Moltke  and  Bismarck  did  not  even  know  that  the 
Emperor  was  in  the  town  of  Sedan  while  fighting  was 
still  going  on !  As  to  the  Empress,  we  are  told  by 
M.  Filon  that  she  remained  at  her  post  in  Paris  (I  may 
add  until,  and  three  days  after,  the  battle  of  Sedan) 
because  she  considered  the  capital  the  most  dangerous 
place  she  could  be  in.  No  one  doubts  her  courage; 
and  perhaps  she  did  right  in  declaring  that  the  Emperor 
should  not — must  not — return  to  Paris  at  a  critical 
juncture. 

Although  M.  Filon's  book  has  made  a  tardy 
appearance,  it  is  none  the  less  to  be  treasured  as  the 
only  authorised  Life  of  the  gallant  Prince  Imperial, 
of  whom  our  late  King  said  : 

"  The  premature  death  of  this  young  man  has  caused 
pain  and  sympathy  in  our  country  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest.  A  more  charming  young  man,  and  one 
having  more  promise,  has  never  existed." 

The  curious  thing  is  that  we  should  have  had  to  wait 
thirty-three  years  for  this  official  Life  of  the  son  of 
Napoleon  IIL  and  the  Empress  Eugenie.  The 
Prince,  revolver  in  one  hand  and  sword  in  the  other, 
fell,  facing  his  Zulu  foes,  on  June  i,  1879.  Less  than 
three  months  before  his  death  he  had  celebrated 
his  twenty-third  birthday.  There  cannot  fail  to  be 
much  speculation  as  to  the  non-appearance  of  this 
imposing    volume    until    the    present    month.     Has 


62     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

its  publication  any  particular  significance  at  this 
moment?  There  were,  doubtless,  good  reasons  why 
it  was  not  issued  years  ago;  and  it  is  probably  only 
a  coincidence  that  it  appears  at  a  time  when,  judging 
by  what  one  hears  and  reads,  the  Bonapartist  cause  is 
more  to  the  fore  than  it  has  been  since  the  Emperor's 
death  in  January,  1873. 

At  the  end  of  the  "  Life  "  M.  Filon  makes  this 
explanation,  which  some  will  probably  accept  under 
reserve.  He  says  he  did  not  wish  to  make  it  a  vehicle 
for  the  revival  of  polemics  which  have  died  out;  still 
less  did  he  desire  to  make  the  dead  Prince  the 
posthumous  advocate  of  a  cause  of  which  he  cannot 
be  the  champion.  "  The  Party  to  which  I  have  had 
the  honour  to  belong  is  not  accustomed  to  transform 
a  funeral  ceremony  into  an  emeute;  and  the  noble 
Prince  who  is  now  the  head  of  the  Bonaparte  family 
would  be  the  first  to  blame  me  if  I  attempted  to  make 
a  political  manoeuvre  out  of  the  pious  homage  which 
I  have  rendered  to  his  cousin." 

All  who  took  part  in  the  Prince  Imperial's  educa- 
tion and  bringing-up  are  particularised — all  but  one  : 
Monsignor  Goddard !  * 

*  An  Eng-lish  edition  of  M.  Filon 's  book  has  been  issued  by 
Mr  W.  Heinemann. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CARDINAL   BONAPARTE'S   LETTERS 

The  "  papers  "  left  by  Monsignor  Goddard,  of  Chisle- 
hurst,  the  Empress  Eugenie's  "director,"  include 
a  number  of  letters  of  Cardinal  Bonaparte,  a  cousin 
of  the  Emperor  Napoleon  IIL  Lucien  Louis  Joseph 
Napoleon  was  born  at  Rome  in  1828,  ordained  priest 
in  1853  (the  year  of  his  Emperor-cousin's  marriage 
with  Mile  Eugenie  de  Montijo),  elevated  to  the 
cardinalate  in  1868,  and  died  at  Rome  in  1895, 
aged  sixty-seven.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Charles 
Lucien  Jules  Laurent  Bonaparte,  Prince  of  Canino,  and 
grandson  of  Lucien  (also  Prince  of  Canino),.  the 
second  brother  of  Napoleon  L  The  Cardinal's  mother 
was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Bonaparte,  and  he  was  a 
nephew  of  that  eminent  philologist,  Prince  Louis 
Lucien  Bonaparte,  who  resided  for  many  years  at 
Bayswater,  and  is  remembered  for  his  striking 
resemblance  to  the  Great  Emperor.  One  of  the 
sisters  of  his  Eminence  married  Comte  Primoli, 
another  became  Princess  Gabrielli,  and  a  third  married 
the  Comte  de  Cambaceres.  Until  the  overthrow  of  the 
Second  Empire,  in  September,  1870,  the  Cardinal 
was  regarded  by  many  as  a  possible  successor  of 
Pope  Pius  IX. ^,  With  Napoleon  III.,  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  and  the  Prince  Imperial,  as  the  letters  prove, 
his  Eminence  maintained  the  most  cordial  relations. 
The  letters  show  that  an  English  priest  who  seeks 
Vatican  honours  must  have  powerful  supporters,  and 


64     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

that  Pius  IX.  was  immeasurably  gratified  at  the 
Chislehurst  mission  priest's  success  in  obtaining  the 
"  abjurations  "  of  many  Protestants.  "  In  his  love 
for  souls,"  the  venerable  Pontiff  "  was  very  happy 
at  the  spiritual  victory  "  gained  by  Father  Goddard, 
two  of  whose  letters  may  serve  as  an  introduction  to 
the  Cardinal's. 


Camden  Place,  Chislehurst, 
January  9,  1873. 
MONSEIGNEUR, — 

You  have  learnt  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of 
the  Emperor.  I  entreat  you  to  go  immediately  to 
his  Holiness  our  Lord  the  Pope  and  ask  for  his 
benediction,  and  tell  him  how  convinced  I  am  of  the 
Emperor's  good  frame  of  mind.  Also  that  I  only 
awaited  the  moment  to  speak  to  him  of  his  duties  to 
the  Holy  See,  and  that  I  am  fully  convinced  he  would 
have  listened  to  me  with  the  greatest  respect. 

Since  I  have  had  the  honour  of  knowing  the 
Emperor,  I  have  been  very  much  touched  by  his  faith 
and  his  goodness. 

I  beg  you  to  mention  all  this,  and  more,  to  his 
Holiness,  and  request  him  to  send  his  benediction,  so 
that  we  may  be  enabled  to  render  all  suitable  honours 
to  the  august  dead. 

I  write  in  the  greatest  haste,  Monseigneur,  begging 
you  to  accept  all  my  apologies  and  the  assurance  of  my 
deepest  homage. 

I.  Goddard, 
Priest. 

I  beg  you  to  send  me  an  immediate  reply  by 
telegram. 


CARDINAL  BONAPARTE'S  LETTERS    65 

Chislehurst,  Janxiary,  1873. 

Eminence, — 

In  compliance  with  the  desire  of  her  Majesty 
the  Empress,  and  in  answer  to  the  pious  solicitude 
expressed  in  your  letter  of  condolence,  allow  me, 
as  cure  of  the  parish,  to  tell  you  what  I  know  of  the 
dispositions  and  the  religious  feelings  of  our  august 
dead. 

Several  times  before  his  death  the  Emperor  ful- 
filled the  duties  of  a  good  and  fervent  Catholic 
in  receiving  the  Holy  Communion  in  my  church. 
His  faith  and  his  piety  were  to  me  the  subject  of  pro- 
found and  perfect  edification.  On  several  occasions 
I  had  the  honour  of  conversations  with  his  Majesty  on 
the  religious  questions  of  the  day,  and  I  can  certify 
that  his  sentiments  were  full  of  devotion  for  the 
church  and  for  the  great  interests  of  religion. 

Alas !  when  least  expected,  came  the  last  terrible 
trial.  I  was  summoned  in  all  haste,  without  being 
able  to  render  to  the  dying  any  other  service  but  that 
of  giving  him  absolution. 

I  hope  the  information  which  I  have  the  honour  to 
send  will  be  of  a  nature  to  satisfy  your  Eminence's 
benevolent  hopes. 

Pray  accept  the  homage  of  respect  with  which  I  have 
the  honour  to  be,  Monsignor,  yours,  etc., 

I.   GODDARD, 


66     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

The  Cardinals  "  beloved  Cousin,  the  Prince 
Imperial" 

Rome,  July  29,   1873. 

Monsieur  l'Abb£, — 

I  thank  you  for  your  letter  and  for  the  inter- 
esting details  that  you  have  given  me  about  my 
beloved  cousin,  the  Prince  Imperial. 

I  am  ill,  and  unable  to  go  to  the  Vatican.  I  have, 
however,  written,  and  yesterday  evening  our  Holy 
Father  was  good  enough  to  inquire  after  me,  and  to 
inform  me  that  he  accorded  you  his  holy  Apostolic 
benediction.  I  hasten  to  make  this  known  to  you, 
Monsieur  I'Abbe,  knowing  how  happy  it  will  make  you. 

I  have  not  failed  to  execute  your  commission 
concerning  my  aunt,  a  religious  of  the  Sacre  Coeur, 
whose  brother,  my  uncle  [Prince],  Louis  Lucien, 
is  in  London.  I  believe  you  know  him;  and  I  shall 
be  grateful  to  you  if  you  will  tell  him  of  my  profound 
attachment  when  you  see  him. 

Accept,  Monsieur  I'Abbe,  all  my  best  sentiments 
of  esteem  and  of  very  high  consideration,  and  be  good 
enough  not  to  forget  me  in  your  fervent  prayers,  as 
I  will  remember  you  at  the  holy  altar^  where  every 
morning  I  offer  the  holy  sacrifice  for  the  repose  of  the 
soul  of  the  beloved  and  ever-to-be-regretted  Emperor. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

"  The  Angelic  Heir  of  'Napoleon  III." 

Rome,  August  15,  1874. 

Monsieur  l'Abb6, — 

I  hasten  to  tell  you  that  I  received  your  letter, 
and  that  I  have  already  written  to  the  Holy  Father 
(for  the  state  of  my  health  prevents  me  from  going 


CARDINAL  BONAPARTE'S  LETTERS    67 

to   the    Vatican),    forwarding   to  his    Holiness    your 
letter. 

I  am  very  happy  to  hear  all  that  you  tell  me — all 
that  is  so  edifying — about  the  Prince  Imperial,  my 
beloved  cousin.  I  should  much  like  to  be  able  to 
assist  with  him  at  your  Mass,  Monsieur  I'Abbe. 
For  several  months  I  have  said  mine  seated,  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff,  in  his  paternal  goodness,  having 
accorded  me  permission  to  do  so. 

The  Holy  Sacrifice  has  been  offered  on  the  occasion 
of  this  beautiful  fete  (the  Festival  of  the  Assumption), 
at  the  altar  where  the  Saint  Pere  celebrates  the  holy 
mysteries,  for  the  soul  of  the  Emperor,  and  I  asked 
him  to  pray  for  the  happiness  of  the  Prince  Imperial, 
who  is  the  consolation  of  his  august  mother  and  the 
hope  of  France  and  of  Catholicism. 

My  good  aunt  at  the  Sacre  Cceur  continues  to 
suffer.  We  often  speak  of  you  and  of  the  dear  Prince 
Imperial,  and  with  all  our  hearts  we  hope  you  will 
receive  the  Divine  blessing  for  your  true  attachment 
to  the  angelic  heir  of  Napoleon  III. 

Accept,  Monsieur  I'Abbe,  my  sentiments  of  high 
consideration,  and  do  not  forget  me  in  your  fervent 
prayers. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte, 

The  ungranted  "  Dispensation^ 

Rome,  November  27,  1874. 

Monsieur  L'ABBifc, — 

After  reading  your  letter  I  hastened  to  send  it 
by  my  secretary  to  Monseigneur  Bartolini,  Secretary 
of  the  Holy  Congregation  of  Rites.  Monseigneur 
Bartolini  made  a  long  search  of  the  Index,  which  is 
in  his  custody,  and  found  that  the  dispensation  which 


68     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

you  wish  for  has  never  been  granted.  He  told 
the  Canon  that  he  much  regretted  being  unable  to 
satisfy  you  or  me,  and  he  added,  in  proof  of  his  good 
will,  that  the  ceremony  might  be  postponed  to  the 
Octave. 

I  hasten  to  tell  you,  Monsieur  I'Abbe,  how  dear  to 
me  is  the  consoling  news  which  you  have  given  me  : 
and  to  renew  the  expression  of  my  most  distinguished 
sentiments  of  esteem  and  high  consideration,  begging 
you  not  to  forget  me  at  the  altar  of  the  Divine  Master. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

"  The  Pope  will  nominate  you  Prelate^ 

Rome,  April  4,  1875. 

Monsieur  l'Abb6, — 

I  have  again  spoken  to  the  Holy  Father  about 
your  matter.  It  was  on  the  jeudi  saint  that  his  Holi- 
ness was  good  enough  to  give  me  an  audience;  and 
I  have  delayed  writing  to  you  until  to-day  in  the  hope 
that  the  Majordomo  would  send  me  a  letter,  the 
Sovereign  Pontiff  having  expressed  his  intention  to 
nominate  you  Prelate,  as  I  was  nominated  three  years 
ago;  after  which  his  Holiness  sent  me  a  letter  from 
the  Cardinal  Secretary  of  State,  appointing  me  a 
Prelate  of  his  Household,  and  about  a  year  later  his 
Holiness  sent  me  the  Brief  conferring  upon  me  the 
dignity  of  Protonotary,  with  which  I  had  been 
invested  ten  years  previously,  when  the  Sovereign 
Pontiff  deigned  to  create  me  a  Cardinal.  I  have 
not  yet  sent  to  the  Majordomo,  because  I  was  told 
that,  it  being  the  Easter  vacation,  it  was  not  surprising 
that  the  letter  had  not  been  forwarded  to  me.  .  .  . 
[The  Cardinal  refers  to  a  domestic  calamity  which 


CARDINAL  BONAPARTE'S  LETTERS    69 

he  had  sustained,  but  this  portion  of  his  letter  is 
undecipherable.  His  Eminence  concludes:]  The 
dear  Prince  and  her  Majesty  (the  Empress  Eugenie) 
have  been,  as  always,  perfect  in  these  circumstances. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

The  Prince  Imperial  and  the  French  Throne. 

Rome,  February  i8,  1877. 

Monsieur  l'Abb6, — 

As  soon  as  I  could  get  a  moment  to  myself  I 
wrote  to  the  Prince  (Imperial).  He  replied  in  terms 
of  affection  towards  you  as  well  as  to  myself.  I 
immediately  read  it  to  the  Holy  Father,  who  told  me 
that  he  would  give  the  necessary  orders.  I  read  also 
to  his  Holiness  the  letter  from  your  Bishop,  and  as 
soon  as  I  receive  the  letter  nominating  you  a  Prelate 
I  will  forward  it  to  you.  .  .  . 

I  believe  the  young  Prince  will  do  immense  good  if 
God  permits  him  to  occupy  the  throne  of  that  beloved 
France  which  his  great  and  unfortunate  father  so 
much  loved  and  made  so  great  and  prosperous.  The 
Prince  and  the  Empress  have  been,  I  know,  very 
sensible  of  this  new  proof  of  your  sympathy. 

Do  not  forget  me  in  your  fervent  prayers,  Monsieur 
I'Abbe,  and  accept  all  my  best  sentiments  of  esteem 
in  N.S.JC. 

L,  Card.  Bonaparte. 

"  The  essential  thing  "  at  the  Vatican. 

Rome,  April  13,  1877. 

Monseigneur, — 

I  have  at  this  instant  received  your  two  letters 
of  the  9th,  and  I  hasten  to  tell  you  that  I  have 
[written  to]  H.  I.  H.  [to  say]  that  the  Holy  Father 


70     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

had  forwarded  me  your  letter  of  nomination.  Besides, 
her  Majesty  [the  Empress]  told  me  that  I  might 
send  it  to  his  Imperial  Highness  [the  Prince  Imperial], 
who  would  hand  it  to  you.  Believe  me  that  there 
was  no  other  means  of  carrying  the  matter  out  for 
the  moment.  Unintentionally,  it  was  a  badly 
managed  affair. 

Now,  be  good  enough  to  send  me,  for  the  Holy 
Father,  a  letter,  tendering  him  your  best  thanks  for 
this  mark  of  his  paternal  benevolence.  That  is 
the  essential  thing.  In  the  next  place,  I  think  you 
might  ask  your  venerable  Bishop  to  write  to  his 
Holiness,  telling  him  .  .  .  that  which  I  myself 
ignored;  and  I  am  convinced  that,  before  long,  you 
will  receive  what  your  worthy  Bishop  desires.  He 
knows  thoroughly  well  how  devoted  you  have  been. 
[Many  words  are  illegible,  and  the  letter  is  unsigned.] 

The  Pope  '*  will  be  satisfied^ 

Rome,  April  30,  1877. 
MONSEIGNEUR, 

I  have  returned  from  a  visit  to  the  Holy 
Father,  to  whom  I  delivered  your  letter  of  compli- 
ments, as  well  as  a  letter  from  the  dear  Prince  Imperial. 
His  Holiness,  as  always,  displayed  a  quite  paternal 
goodness.  He  blessed  you,  Monseigneur,  from  the 
depths  of  his  heart,  and  was  much  touched  by  the 
sentiments  which  you  asked  me  to  express.  By  the 
same  post  I  am  writing  to  S.A.I,  [the  Prince  Imperial], 
who  is  so  belove'd  by  his  august  godfather  [Pope 
Pius  IX.]. 

I  shall  be  happy,  Monseigneur,  to  again  see  your 
venerable  Bishop,  and  to  place  myself  at  his  disposal. 
His  Lordship  will  certainly  not  fail  to  tell  his  Holi- 


CARDINAL  BONAPARTE'S  LETTERS     71 

ness  all  that  you  have  done,  Monseigneur,  for  the 
welfare  of  souls,  and  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  will  be  very 
satisfied. 

Accept,  Monseigneur,  my  most  distinguished  senti- 
ments in  N.S.J.C.,  and  be  good  enough  not  to  forget 
me  in  your  fervent  prayers. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

"  Preparing  the  way  "  for  Vatican  honours. 

Rome,  August  5,  1877. 
Monseigneur, — 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  ist,  and 
hasten  to  tell  you  what  I  have  already  told,  in  heart- 
felt sincerity,  Monseigneur,  your  venerable  Bishop — 
i.e.  that  I  have  asked  the  Holy  Father  to  accord  you 
an  ecclesiastical  dignity,  without  speaking  of  a 
Prelacy  or  a  .  .  .  [undecipherable]. 

We  spoke  a  long  time  about  you,  Monseigneur, 
to  your  worthy  Prelate,  and  I  permit  myself  to  say  that 
he  referred  in  terms  of  hearty  eulogy  of  you  to  his 
Holiness,  and  in  a  manner  to  prepare  the  way  for 
obtaining  what  you  desire.  I  have  not  seen  Monseign- 
eur since  his  audience  of  the  Holy  Father.  We 
called  upon  each  other  without,  unfortunately, 
meeting.  I  permitted  myself  to  tell  the  Bishop  that, 
if  he  considered  it  well  to  do  so,  he  might,  after  a 
certain  interval,  send  me  a  letter  for  the  Holy  Father, 
asking  him  to  appoint  you  a  Prelate  of  the  Mantelletta; 
or,  if  the  Bishop  preferred  it,  he  might  write  me  a 
letter  asking  me  to  make  the  request  to  the  Holy 
Father. 

I  am  happy  to  hear  the  good  news  which  you  send 
me  of  the  dear  Prince  Imperial.     I  have  sent  him  by 


72     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Monseigneur  your  Bishop  the  medal  which  the 
Cardinals  have  offered  to  his  Holiness  for  his  episcopal 
jubilee. 

I  am  very  pleased  to  hear  that  her  Majesty  the 
Empress  has  happily  returned  from  the  long  journey 
which  her  filial  piety  led  her  to  undertake.  *  I  have 
sent  her  the  medal  which  the  Holy  Father  forwarded 
to  me  for  the  Prince. 

Accept,  Monseigneur,  all  my  most  distinguished 
sentiments  in  N.S' 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

The  Chislehurst  Priest  must  he  patient. 

Rome,  December  2,  1877. 

Monseigneur, — 

I  thank  you  for  having  sent  to  his  Imperial 
Highness  the  medal,  and  I  am  happy  to  hear  what  you 
tell  me  about  his  precious  health  and  that  of  her 
Majesty  the  Empress. 

I  have  just  returned  from  an  audience  of  the  Holy 
Father,  and  I  am  pleased  to  be  able  to  tell  you  that 
his  Holiness  accords  you  his  Apostolic  benediction. 
He  spoke  to  me  about  the  dear  Prince  with  the 
greatest  paternal  affection. 

I  have  well  considered  your  affair,  Monseigneur, 
and  I  believe  your  Bishop  should  write  to  the  high 
personage  of  whom  you  speak.  The  letter  which 
the  Bishop  wrote  to  me  I  have  forwarded  to  the  Holy 
Father,  who  has  remitted  it  to  the  Majordomo. 
Consequently  I  shall  not  have  it  again,  as  it  will  have 
to  be  placed  in  the  archives  of  the  Majordomo. 

You  will   understand,   Monseigneur,  that,   as  only 

*  The  Empress  had  gone  to  Madrid  to  see  her  mother,  the 
Comtesse  de  Montijo,  who  died  two  years  later,  aged  eighty-four. 


CARDINAL  BONAPARTE'S  LETTERS     73 

five  months  have  elapsed  since  his  Holiness  made 
you  his  Private  Chaplain,  I  cannot  afresh  immediately 
ask  him  to  accord  you  a  new  Prelacy.  That  is 
easier  said  [than  done].  The  illustrious  personne 
of  whom  you  speak  in  your  letter  is  not  at  Rome  at 
the  moment. 

The  [Pope]  will  not  accord  you  more  than  you 
think  until  after  a  certain  time.  Time  is  a  necessary 
element. 

Pray  for  me,  and  believe  all  my  distinguished 
sentiments  in  N.S.J.C. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

The  Pope  blesses  Mgr.  Goddard  for  more 
"  Abjurations^ 

Rome,  December  24,  1877. 
MONSEIGNEUR, 

I  have  just  returned  from  the  Vatican  [where 
I  saw],  seventeen  Cardinals  round  the  sick  bed  of 
our  Holy  Father.  I  asked  them  to  request  him  to 
give  you  his  holy  benediction,  and  to  tell  him  of  the 
sweet  and  precious  consolation  you  felt  at  receiving 
the  abjurations  of  six  Protestants.  His  Holiness 
blessed  you  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  and,  in  his 
love  for  souls,  was  very  happy  at  the  spiritual  victory 
which  you  have  obtained.  I  am  greatly  afflicted, 
Monseigneur,  at  your  sorrow,  and  beg  you  to  accept 
my  very  sincere  condolences.  The  death  of  a  father 
is  such  a  great  calamity  !  May  the  good  God  give  you 
courage  and  holy  resignation ! 

I  have  written  to  her  Majesty  [the  Empress]  and 
to  the  dear  Prince  Imperial,  to  offer  them  my  wishes 
for  a  happy  fete  and  a  happy  new  year,  and  have  sent 
them  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Father. 


74     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

You  will  do  well  to  avail  yourself  of  the  amiable 
intervention  of  the  great  personage  you  mention.  .  .  . 

Accept,  Monseigneur,  all  my  sentiments,  and  pray 
for  me. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

The  Empress's  example  to  "  the  fervent  Catholics  of 
England^     Further  "  abjurations !' 

Rome,  January  5,  1879. 

Monseigneur, — 

I  thank  you  for  your  letter  and  for  the  wishes 
that  you  express  on  the  occasion  of  the  New  Year, 
and  beg  you  at  the  same  time  to  accept  my  own  sincere 
wishes  for  the  accomplishment  of  all  that  you  can 
desire. 

I  am  happy  to  be  able  to  announce  the  Apostolic 
benediction  of  our  Holy  Father,  which  you  desired, 
Monseigneur,  and  to  tell  you  that  the  last  time  I  had 
the  joy  of  seeing  his  Holiness  he  spoke  of  you,  and 
wished  me  to  recommend  to  you  more  and  more  our 
beloved  Prince  Imperial.  Very  shortly  I  shall  take 
him  your  letter,  which  will  give  him  pleasure;  for 
at  this  Christmastide  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  is  so  over- 
whelmed by  his  occupations  that  I  thought  it  better 
to  wait  before  taking  it.  He  will  be  well  pleased 
to  see  how  edifying  is  the  example  of  the  dear  Prince 
and  the  good  Empress  to  the  fervent  Catholics 
of  England;  and  will  feel,  like  ourselves,  happy 
at  the  abjurations  of  several  Protestants  which  you, 
Monseigneur,  have  received. 

Accept  anew,  Monseigneur,  all  my  most  distin- 
guished wishes,  and  be  good  enough  not  to  forget  me 
in  your  fervent  prayers. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 


CARDINAL  BONAPARTE'S  LETTERS     75 

The  Prince  Imperial's  last  Communion  at  Ckislehurst* 

Rome. 

MONSEIGNEUR, — 

Without  delay  I  thank  you  for  your  good 
letter,  which  has  been  to  me  a  very  great  consolation. 
I  hastened  to  place  it  under  the  eyes  of  the  Very  Holy 
Father,  who  perused  it  with  great  interest,  and  to 
whom  it  was  very  satisfactory. 

I  am  happy,  Monseigneur,  to  be  able  to  send  you 
the  Apostolic  benediction,  which,  in  your  letter,  you 
expressed  a  wish  to  receive.  This  holy  benediction 
of  the  venerated  Sovereign  Pontiff  will  bring  happiness 
to  you  and  also  to  her  Majesty  [the  Empress  Eugenie] 
and  the  dear  Prince  Imperial.  It  is  a  touching 
consolation  to  think  that  his  Highness  received  the 
Holy  Communion  on  the  very  day  of  his  departure 
from  Chislehurst  for  Zululand.  I  pray  several  times 
during  the  day  for  that  noble  heart.  Poor  Empress ! 
How  much  she  must  suffer  from  this  sad  separation ! 
Her  admirable  courage  and  her  fervent  piety  will  give 
her  the  necessary  strength. 

I  have  seen  the  good  Archbishop  of  Avignon  and 
the  excellent  Mgr.  Mermillod,  who  have  spoken  to  me 
of  the  dear  Prince  Imperial  with  great  sympathy. 

Do  not  forget  me  in  your  fervent  prayers, 
Monseigneur;  and  when  you  see  her  Majesty  [the 
Empress]  be  good  enough  to  present  my  respects  to 
her.     I  wrote  to  her  a  few  days  ago. 

Accept,  Monseigneur,  all  my  most  sincere  thanks. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

*  This  letter  is  undated.  The  contents  show  that  it  was 
written  immediately  after  the  Prince  Imperial's  departure  for 
Zululand  on  February  27,  1879. 


76     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

The   Pope's   -pleasure  at   the    "  great   progress  "    of 
Catholicism  in  England. 

Rome,  March  2,  1879. 
MONSEIGNEUR, — 

Your  heart  will  readily  understand  that  I 
address  myself  to  your  well-known  attachment  to  the 
Prince  Imperial,  my  beloved  cousin,  to  ask  you  [to 
invoke  the  Divine  protection  for]  the  expedition 
which  an  admirable  courage  has  led  him  to  take  part  in. 

[The  Cardinal  expresses  his  gratitude  at  hearing 
that  "  our  holy  religion  is  making  such  progress 
in  England,"  and  acknowledges  Mgr.  Goddard's  help 
in  that  direction].  ...  The  Holy  Father,  whom  I 
went  to  see  yesterday,  to  talk  about  the  dear  Prince, 
is  gratified  with  these  results.  His  Holiness  spoke 
about  you  very  kindly,  and  is  full  of  paternal 
solicitude  for  his  Imperial  Highness;  I  wrote  to 
him  last  night,  to  her  Majesty  the  Empress. 

Do  not  forget  me  in  your  fervent  prayers.  Pray  for 
the  Prince  and  her  Majesty. 

Accept,  Monseigneur,  all  my  sentiments  of  esteem. 

L.  Card.  Bonaparte. 

It  was  said  in  Paris  that  the  Emperor  had  died 
without  having  received  the  Sacraments  of  the  Church. 
This  was  denied  by,  among  others,  M.  Francis  Aubert, 
who  had  chronicled  the  funeral  ceremonies  for  one 
of  the  leading  French  papers,  and  who  declared  that 
Father  Goddard  administered  the  last  Sacraments. 
"  This,"  said  M.  Aubert,  was  "  the  truth."  M.  Aubert, 
however,  was  not  correctly  informed.  The  proof 
of  this  is  the  letter  written  by  the  Chislehurst  priest 
to  Cardinal  Bonaparte. 


CHAPTER  IX 

EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  AND  LAST  PREMIER 

Entile  Olliviers  Expiation  and  Exculpation 

"  My  narrative  is  of  granite,  because  it  is  the  truth."* 

That  a  man  who  survived  to  celebrate  his  eighty- 
eighth  birthday  should  have  devoted  a  score  of  his  last 
years  to  writing  an  ^apology  for  his  conduct  of  a 
Ministry  which  lasted  only  just  over  six  months  is  in 
its  way  phenomenal,  and  stamps  him  as  one  endowed 
with  an  almost  abnormal  strength  of  will.  Those 
who,  for  various  reasons,  shrank  from  the  attempt 
even  to  glance  at  the  many  volumes  of  "  L'Empire 
Liberal  "  attributed  Ollivier's  determination  to  "  clear 
himself  "  to  overweening  vanity.  Those  who  have  read 
only  what  they  may  regard  as  the  salient  portions  of 
this  recital  of  a  great  crisis  in  the  life  of  an  empire  take 
a  different  view  of  this  stupendous  work.  Thiers, 
after  seeing  an  example  of  De  Blowitz's  first  contribu- 
tion to  the  "  Times,"  said,  "  You  want  a  roomy  paper 
to  write  in  " ;  and  when  Laurence  Oliphant  spread  out 
on  the  carpet  what  was  then  known  on  the  Continent 
as  "  the  journal  of  the  City,"  Delane's  new  recruit 
gazed  upon  it  with  admiration  for  its  Brobdingnagian 
dimensions.  So  it  was  with  Ollivier,  to  whom  a 
canvas  which  satisfied  Meissonier  would  have  been 
as  useless  as  an  envelope.     To  narrate  one  incident 

*  "  L'Empire  Liberal,"  vol.  xvi. 
77 


78     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

only  (but  it  was  a  tremendous  one)  he  occupies  a  volume 
of   640  pages !     In  it  there   are  only  two  or  three 
repetitions,  and  those  are  necessary  to  make  the  epic 
intelligible — different   versions   of   the   same   circum- 
stances.    That  volume  (xv.)  is  "  La  Guerre."     "  Le 
Suicide  "  (xvi.)  was  issued  in  191 2,  and  three  years 
later  (August,  19 15)  came  the  volume  (xvii.)  concluding 
the  series, appropriately  entitled  "  La  Fin."  It  is  incom- 
plete, for  while  the  veteran  was  writing  the  chapters 
on   Sedan   and   the   Revolution  of   three   days   later 
"  God's  glory  smote  him  on  the  face,"  and  we  shall 
never  know  from  Ollivier's  own  pen  the  impression 
made  upon  him  by  those  events.     It  can,  however, 
now  be  surmised  by  his  vivid  portrayal  of  MacMahon's 
engulfment  "  dans  la  route  de  perdition."     "  La  Fin," 
which  has  fire  and  fury  stamped  on  many  of  its  pages, 
is  of  special  value  for  the  absolute  proof  it  affords 
of   the   striking   fact  that   there   should   never   have 
been  a   Sedan,  with  its  resultant   overthrow  of  the 
Second   Empire.     The   tragedy  was   caused   by  the 
obstinate  determination  of  the  Regent  and  her  obtuse 
and  evil  counsellors.  Generals  Palikao  and  Trochu, 
that  on  no  account  should  the  Emperor  or  MacMahon, 
with   his  army,   be   allowed   to  return   to    Paris,   but 
should  embark,  in  the  third  week  of  August,  on  the 
mad  course  of   marching  to  the  aid   of  Bazaine   in 
Metz.     Even  Thiers,  and  many  other  dispassionate 
observers,    denounced    that   step    as    "  insane."     No 
great  harm  would  have  resulted  from  Bazaine  being 
left  unrelieved  in  the  fortress.     On  the  other  hand,  the 
Empire    would    have   been    saved    had    MacMahon, 
accompanied  by  the  Emperor,  led  his  force  to  Paris, 
which    could   then   have   successfully   withstood    the 
enemy's  siege  and  compelled  the  Germans  to  make 


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EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER  79 

peace  upon  terms  acceptable  to  France.  But,  as 
Ollivier  says  in  his  final  volume,  "  The  Regent  had 
supplanted  the  Emperor  since  the  9th  of  August  " — 
only  a  week  after  the  first  clash  of  arms  at  Saarbriicken, 
on  the  2nd  of  the  month.  The  reins  of  power  were, 
most  unfortunately  as  it  proved,  in  the  hands  of  the 
Empress,  the  victim  not  only  of  Palikao,  but  of 
Trochu,  who,  in  the  opinion  of  the  public,  had  "  taken 
the  place  of  the  Empress"  !  Thus  were  the  Emperor, 
the  generals  and  the  armies  handicapped  from  the 
outset :  thus  was  the  final  issue  inevitable. 

In  a  forceful  passage  Ollivier  now  shows  us  how 
"  the  war  was  disavowed  by  those  who  had  demanded 
it  and  voted  for  it :  the  only  Ministry  which  could 
have  directed  affairs  was  turned  out  of  office;  the 
Emperor  suspended  from  his  functions  as  military 
and  political  chief;  everything  left  in  the  hands 
of  weak  or  inexperienced  Ministers;  the  cry  of 
'  sauve-qui-peut '  heard  in  the  Chamber  and  outside ; 
Thiers,  Gambetta  and  Jules  Favre  became  the  orators 
and  directors  of  a  crazy  majority;  the  revolutionaries 
distributed  arms  to  their  adepts  and  watched  for  the 
first  defeat  in  order  to  destroy  what  remained  of  the 
[old]  institutions ;  and  Trochu  used  his  power  against 
that  of  the  Empress." 

These  words  were  written  with  the  life's  blood 
of  the  old  patriot  who  passed  away  under  the  shadow 
of  Mont  Blanc  only  a  year  before  the  second  invasion 
of  his  country.  What  happiness  would  have  been 
his  had  he  been  spared  to  witness  the  regeneration  of 
France  and  the  triumphs  of  her  armies  and  of  seeing 
Gaul  and  Briton,  side  by  side,  stemming  the  Teutonic 
current ! 

Two  men  in  particular  have  had  to  bear  the  blame 


8o    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

for  the  unsuccessful  war  of  1870 — Napoleon  III.  and 
Emile  Ollivier,  and  both  were  averse  to  entering 
upon  it.  The  real  culprit  was  the  Due  de  Gramont, 
the  Foreign  Minister  of  OUivier's  Cabinet,  although, 
later,  Palikao  and  Trochu  materially  contributed  to 
the  downfall.  Bismarck  said  of  Gramont :  "  He 
is  the  stupidest  man  I  have  ever  met."  He  was  the 
man  who  delivered  France  into  the  hands  of  Prussia. 
Acting  on  his  own  initiative,  without  informing  anyone 
of  his  intentions,  he  instructed  Benedetti,  the  diplo- 
matic representative  of  France  at  Berlin,  to  endeavour 
to  extort  from  King  William  a  promise  that  he 
would  not  in  future  support  the  candidature  of  any 
Hohenzollern  prince  for  the  Spanish  throne.  It  is 
said,  and  with  justice,  that  Ollivier  ought  not  to  have 
allowed  Gramont  to  take  such  a  step  before  consulting 
his  colleagues.  But  the  mischief  was  done,  as  the 
facts  prove,  behind  the  backs  of  the  Cabinet.  All 
the  devices  employed  by  Ollivier  to  mitigate  the 
blunder  failed.  New  instructions  were  sent  to 
Benedetti — Ollivier  and  the  other  Ministers  concurring 
— but  in  all  the  dispatches  Benedetti  was  urged  to 
press  the  King  to  say  something  which  would  save  the 
faces  of  the  members  of  OUivier's  Cabinet.  The 
King  had  already  assured  Benedetti  that  the  candida- 
ture of  Prince  Leopold  had  been  withdrawn,  and, 
to  paraphrase  his  Majesty's  words,  there  was  an  end 
of  the  matter.  And  there,  of  course,  it  ought  to 
have  ended.  King  William  rightly  declined  to  give 
any  "  promise  "  as  to  the  future,  and,  but  very  mildly, 
resented  Benedetti's  importunities  for  another 
audience.  Bismarck  telegraphed  his  intention  of 
resigning  if  the  Kng  consented  to  accord  the  French 
Ambassador  another  interview.     As  he   received   no 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER     8i 

reply  to  this  threat,  he  telegraphed  again  to  the  same 
effect. 

"  The  consequences,"  writes  Ollivier  very  frankly, 
"  of  the  importunity,  si  peu  sagace,  of  our  Ambassador 
were  immediate.  The  King,  fatigued  by  his  obses- 
sions, after  [his  Majesty's]  absolute  refusals,  appealed 
to  Bismarck."  By  the  King's  order,  Abeken,  an 
official  employee,  in  consultation  with  Eulenberg 
and  Camphausen,  sent  a  cypher  telegram  of  two 
hundred  words  to  Bismarck,  detailing  precisely  what 
had  occurred  at  Ems,  and  concluding  :  "  His  Majesty 
leaves  your  Excellency  to  decide  whether  the  new 
request  made  by  Count  Benedetti  and  the  refusal  which 
has  been  given  him  should  be  immediately  communi- 
cated to  our  Ministers,  to  those  abroad,  and  to  the 
Press."  Bismarck,  given  a  free  hand  by  his 
Sovereign,  certainly  "  edited  "  the  King's  telegram 
to  an  appreciable  extent,  but  he  did  not  "  falsify  "  it, 
as  he  was  alleged  to  have  done.  And  even  Ollivier, 
when  he  speaks  of  "  falsification,"  is  careful,  with  his 
wonted  honesty,  to  explain  that  he  does  not  employ 
the  word  as  meaning  an  actual  falsifying  of  the 
document.  Others,  less  conscientious,  less  acquainted 
perhaps  with  the  science  of  language,  have  boldly 
accused,  and  still  accuse,  Bismarck  of  "  forging  " 
the  King's  message ! 

The  Due  de  Gramont,  then,  had  ordered  Benedetti 
to  ask  King  William  for  "  guarantees  "  as  to  the 
future,  a  fact  unknown,  as  indicated  above,  to 
Ollivier,  who  saw  the  telegram  only  four  hours  after 
it  had  been  dispatched  (July  12).  At  eleven  p.m. 
Gramont  showed  the  telegram  to  Ollivier,  who  was 
reading  it  when  an  aide-de-camp  brought  in  a  letter 
from  the  Emperor  at  St  Cloud.     Gramont  read  it  and 


82     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

handed  it  to  Ollivier.  In  it  the  Emperor  said  Bene- 
detti  should  now  be  instructed  to  lay  before  the  King 
these  points : 

1.  We  have  been  dealing  with  Prussia,  not  with  Spain. 

2.  The  dispatch  sent  by  Prince  Antoine  of  HohenzoUern 
[father  of  the  candidate]  to  Prim  is  not  for  us  an  official  docu- 
ment, nor  was  anyone  instructed  to  deliver  it  to  us. 

3.  Prince  Leopold  accepted  the  candidature  for  the  Spanish 
throne,  and  his  father  renounced  it  [for  him]. 

4.  Benedetti  must,  then,  insist,  as  he  has  been  ordered  to  do 
[by  Gramont],  upon  having  [from  King  William]  a  cate- 
gorical answer  by  which  the  King  will  promise  for  the  future 
not  to  allow  Prince  Leopold  to  follow  his  brother's  example 
and  leave  for  Spain  one  fine  day.  * 

5.  As  long  as  we  have  no  official  communication  from  Ems 
we  have  not  had  an  answer  to  our  just  demands. 

6.  Until  we  get  that  answer  we  shall  continue  our  armaments. 

7.  It  is  impossible  to  make  any  communication  to  the  Chamber 
until  we  are  better  informed. 

The  Emperor's  letter  made  matters  worse  than  they 
already  were.  Moreover,  his  Majesty  had  not,  as 
courtesy  demanded,  consulted  his  Prime  Minister  before 
writing  to  Gramont.  The  Emperor  had  written  his 
letter  under  the  influence  of  two  members  of  the  Right, 
Jerome  David  and  the  journalist  Cassagnac,  both 
firebrands,  crazy  for  war,  and  exciting  the  Empress, 
who  did  not  require  much  stimulating  in  this  direction. 
Ollivier  felt  that  he  had  been  badly  treated  by  not 
having  been  confided  in  by  his  Foreign  Minister  or 
by  the  Emperor.  He  says  :  "  II  y  avait  de  quoi 
justifier  une  explosion  de  rudes  paroles."  But  he 
kept  his  temper.  "  At  the  moment,"  he  asks  plain- 
tively, "  what  was  I  to  do?  I  had  not  the  power 
[which  he  ought  to  have  had  as  head  of  the  Govern- 

*  The  brother  referred  to  was  the  late  King  of  Roumania. 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER     83 

ment]  to  tell  Gramont  to  recall  his  first  telegram  to 
Benedetti  [the  one  which  was  the  original  cause  of  the 
war],  nor  to  prevent  him  from  carrying  out  the  order 
which  he  had  just  received  [from  the  Emperor].  At 
the  utmost  I  could  only  have  asked  him  to  accompany 
me  to  the  Emperor  in  order  to  get  his  Majesty  to  with- 
draw his  instructions.  Had  it  been  in  the  daytime 
I  should  have  done  this;  but  at  midnight  I  could 
not  think  of  doing  so.  .  .  .  The  deed  was  irrevocably 
done.  I  had  to  take  one  of  two  courses — to  protest 
by  resigning,  or  to  seek  to  annul  the  consequences 
of  an  act  which  I  was  unable  to  prevent." 

In  a  letter  complaining  of  an  article  which  had 
appeared  in  the  "  Historische  Zeitschrif t,"  asserting  that 
he  had  misrepresented  the  Ems  incident,  Ollivier 
wrote :  "  I  am  made  to  say  that  I  have  striven 
to  demonstrate  that  the  lettre  d'excuses  was  inoffensive. 
On  the  contrary,  I  have  shown  in  my  volume  xiv. 
that  to  ask  [the  King]  for  a  lettre  d'excuses  would 
have  been  an  impertinence  to  which  the  King  would 
have  replied  by  sending  our  Ambassador  across  the 
frontier  and  by  ordering  the  mobilisation  of  the  army. 
...  It  was  a  spontaneous  letter  of  friendship,  not 
a  lettre  d'excuses,  which  we  asked  for.  Neither 
Gramont  nor  I  was  such  an  imbecile  as  not  to  have 
known  that  to  have  asked  for  a  lettre  d'excuses  would 
have  been  to  put  the  match  to  the  powder."  But, 
despite  all  Ollivier's  ingenious  pleading,  Gramont's 
letter  did  provoke  Bismarck's  soufflet,  which  probably 
brought  to  the  Duke's  recollection  the  proverb, 
"  Cracher  en  I'air  pour  que  cela  vous  retombe  dans 
la  bouche." 

Ollivier  told  Gramont  that  he  would  be  accused  of 
having  premeditated  the  war,  and  advised  him  not  to 


84     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

obey  the  Emperor's  suggestion  to  stiffen  the  first 
dispatch  to  Benedetti,  but  to  attenuate  it.  The 
Premier  then  drafted  his  idea  of  the  new  instructions 
which  Gramont  should  send  to  Benedetti.  The 
difference  between  Ollivier's  draft  and  Gramont's  first 
telegram  was,  he  says,  considerable.  The  first  tele- 
gram instructed  Benedetti  to  obtain  from  the  King 
"  a  general  guarantee  in  view  of  future  eventualities. 
My  draft  limited  the  guarantee  to  the  present,  and  was 
only  applicable  in  case  Prince  Leopold  did  not 
concur  in  the  actual  renunciation  of  his  candidature 
made  by  his  father."  Gramont  thought  Ollivier's 
advice  good,  but  he  adopted  only  half  of  it ;  and  this 
second  telegram,  dispatched  at  eleven  forty-five  p.m., 
did  not  reach  Benedetti  until  ten-thirty  the  next  morn- 
ing, after  he  had  seen  the  King  and  had  presented  his 
first,  and  fatal,  instructions. 

Thousands  of  books,  pamphlets  and  magazine  and 
newspaper  articles  have  been  written  to  explain  the 
actual  cause  of  the  war  which  destroyed  the  Bonapart- 
ist  dynasty  and  made  the  German  Empire.  *  But 
the  bare  facts  are  outlined  in  the  foregoing  few  lines. 

"  Make  it  known,"  wrote  the  Emperor  to  Ollivier 
from  his  "prison"  at  Wilhelmshohe  f  "that  it  is 
Thiers  and  Jules  Favre  who,  since  1866,  have  so  often 
repeated  that  France  was  so  weakened  by  the  success 
of  Prussia  as  to  make  une  revanche  necessary,  so  that 
the  first  incident   [that   at    Ems]    sufficed   to   cause 

*  There  were  previous  contributory  causes,  extending  over 
several  years. 

t  The  Emperor's  captivity  lasted  from  the  first  days  of 
September,  1870,  until  the  third  week  of  March,  1871,  when  he 
took  up  his  residence  with  the  Empress  and  the  Prince  Imperial 
at  Chislehurst,  where  he  died  somewhat  unexpectedly  on  January 

9.  ^^73' 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER     85 

an  explosion  of  public  opinion.  They  have  heaped 
up  the  incendiary  material,  and  a  single  spark  was 
sufficient  to  cause  a  fire." 

It  will  have  been  seen  that,  at  the  critical  moment, 
the  Emperor,  like  Gramont,  did  not  give  that  full 
confidence  to  OUivier  which  the  President  of  the 
Council  had  a  right  to  expect,  even  to  demand.  Faced 
by  a  reticent  Emperor  on  one  hand  and  a  secretive 
Foreign  Minister  on  the  other,  an  infinitely  stronger 
man  than  Ollivier  would  have  been  baffled.  Nor,  if  we 
accept  his  oft-repeateH  assertions,  did  the  President 
of  the  Council  receive  much,  if  any,  support  from  the 
Empress.  "  Undoubtedly,"  he  says,  referring  to 
the  period  preceding  the  declaration  of  war,  "  the 
Empress  and  her  camarilla  were  for  war,  but  the 
Emperor  was  still  undecided,"  and  this  after  he  had 
suggested  to  Gramont  to  "  accentuate  "  his  second 
telegram  to  Benedetti.  Not  only  did  the  Empress,  at 
luncheon  one  day  during  the  "  negotiations,"  if  so 
they  can  be  called,  snub  Ollivier ;  she  turned  her  back 
towards  him  while  he  was  sitting  next  to  her  at  the 
table.  When  Gramont  read  the  declaration  of  war 
at  St  Cloud  "  she  clapped  her  hands." 

On  another  occasion,  also  during  the  crisis,  the 
Emperor,  in  his  consort's  presence,  told  Marshal 
Le  Boeuf  that  there  was  a  scheme  for  trying  to  arrange 
for  a  conference  of  the  Powers  to  consider  the  whole 
question.  "  Well,  Marshal,  what  do  you  think  of  the 
project?  "  the  Empress  asked  the  then  Minister  for 
War.  He  replied  that  war  would  certainly  have 
been  preferable,  but,  as  all  idea  of  fighting  had  been 
abandoned,  the  Government's  proposal  of  a  confer- 
ence appeared  to  him  to  be  the  best  thing  to  do.  The 
Marshal's    answer    exasperated    her    Majesty,    who 


86     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

excitedly  exclaimed  :  "  What !  AnH  do  you,  too, 
approve  of  this  cowardice  ?  If  you  wish  to  dishonour 
yourselves,  do  not  dishonour  the  Emperor."  "  Oh  !  " 
said  the  Emperor,  "  how  can  you  speak  like  that  to 
a  man  who  has  given  so  many  proofs  of  devotion?  " 
She  saw  that  she  had  made  a  mistake,  expressed  her 
deep  regret,  and  embraced  the  Marshal,  begging 
him  to  forget  her  "  vivacity."  Ollivier,  who  could 
have  had  no  particular  desire  to  flatter  her,  says  : 
"  The  Empress  wished,  through  the  Marshal,  to  aim 
at  the  middle  course  which  we  had  reached,  and  she 
had  not  spoken  too  strongly.  That  evening  she  felt, 
thought  and  spoke  justly.  Her  revolt  was  legitimate, 
and  she  was  right  to  use  her  power  to  discard  an 
expedient  which,  without  preserving  peace,  would  have 
discredited  the  Emperor  for  ever."  From  the  first 
she  had  not  regarded  Ollivier  favourably :  the  proof 
of  this  assertion  is  to  be  found  in  a  letter  written  by  the 
Emperor  to  Ollivier  (not  mentioned  by  him  in  his  work) 
asking  him  to  enter  the  Tuileries  through  one  of  the 
small  garden  gates,  so  that  the  Empress  might  not  be 
aware  of  his  visits  ! 

Those  possessed  of  the  legal  mind  will  best  appreci- 
ate the  construction  of  "  L'Empire  Liberal  "  and  the 
author's  deft  manipulation  of  facts.  The  seventeen 
volumes  are  indeed  mosaics  of  facts,  from  which  we 
can  safely  draw  our  inferences.  We  may  all  admire 
Ollivier  as  a  literary  artificer — one  who  is  his  own 
architect  and  his  own  builder.  In  forming  an  opinion 
of  his  great  gifts  as  a  litterateur,  we  must  remember 
that  he  had  been  a  successful  practising  barrister. 
In  that  capacity  he  had  read  so  many  briefs  that  the 
unusual  task  of  preparing  one  in  his  own  defence 
was  comparatively  easy.     His  main  difficulty  at  the 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER     87 

outset  was  that  of  sifting  the  mountains  of  detail. 
In  his  latest  years  he  had  to  face  the  terror  of  almost 
complete  blindness.  Even  this  disability  did  not 
dismay  him,  and  he  struggled  on  with  the  aid  of  his 
wife  and  daughter.  In  the  handling  of  his  case, 
Ollivier  reminds  one  of  Lord  Russell  of  Killowen 
when  he  was  at  the  Bar,  and  also  of  Henry  Matthews 
(Lord  Llandaff).  Perhaps  the  last  comparison  is  the 
better  of  the  two,  for  some  incline  to  the  opinion  that 
in  the  presentation  of  cases  to  juries  Matthews  sur- 
passed Russell,  simply  because  his  education  had 
given  him  the  finesse  of  the  Frenchman.  However  this 
may  be,  Ollivier,  in  the  preparation  of  his  plaidoirie, 
proved  himself  to  be  at  least  the  equals  of  Russell 
and  Matthews,  and  probably  of  Berryer.  For  the 
rest,  he  was  a  Meridional,  and  had  all  the  exuberance 
of  the  Southerner  combined  with  much  of  the  level- 
headedness and  common-sense  of  the  Northerner.  He 
has  made  out  a  case  for  himself  which  is  incontro- 
vertible because  it  is  composed  of  facts;  some  of 
these  have  been  questioned  by  M.  Welschinger  and 
others,  but  not  very  convincingly,  although  Ollivier's 
indignation  and  bitterness  occasionally  led  him  into 
unintentional  exaggerations. 

In  191 1  I  was  in  active  correspondence  with 
M.  Ollivier  on  matters  which  he  deemed  of  great 
importance;  and  it  may  be  not  uninteresting  to  give 
a  few  translated  extracts  from  some  of  his  letters  to 
me,  as  they  show  his  extreme  sensitiveness  respecting 
all  that  was  published  about  him  by  others,  particularly 
when  statements  attributed  on  the  merest  hearsay 
to  the  Empress  Eugenie  were  adduced  as  evidence 
against  him. 

On  September  23,  191 1,  he  wrote  : 


88     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

"  I  am  having  read  to  me  your  very  interesting-  volume.  * 
Before  finishing  it  and  meditating  upon  it,  I  shall  be  greatly 
obliged  by  your  enlightening  me  upon  two  points.  In  one 
chapter  there  are  some  extracts,  taken  from  *  Her  Own  Chaplet 
of  Memories,'  in  which  the  Empress  Eugenie  is  made  to  say  : 
'  I  know  how  to  get  rid  of  them  [General  Fleury  and  Ollivier] 
and  to  deliver  the  Emperor  from  them.'  You  will  be  render- 
ing me  real  service  by  telling  me  from  what  document  you  have 
taken  that  phrase  and  the  date  of  it. 

"  Again,  you  narrate  what  passed  between  Palikao  [ Ollivier 's 
successor  as  President  of  the  Council]  and  the  Empress  when 
the  former  arrived  at  the  Tuileries  on  August  9,  1870,  in  the 
morning.  I  particularly  want  to  know  the  source  from  whence 
you  derived  that  information. 

"  You  will  have  received  a  week  ago  a  letter  in  which  I 
thanked  you  for  your  amiable  dedication.  Believe  me  when  I  say 
I  am  much  touched  by  it,  and  that  it  is  with  my  whole  heart 
that  I  repeat  my  expressions  of  sincere  sympathy. 

"la  little  regret  that  you  have  given  credence  to  the  allega- 
tion of  M.  Welschinger  respecting  a  pretended  letter  of  excuse 
asked  of  the  King  of  Prussia  by  the  Due  de  Gramont.  The 
statement  as  presented  by  that  writer  is  absolutely  false.  He 
shows  himself  in  his  book  a  malicious  imbecile,  of  bad  faith. 
He  has  calumniated  Gramont,  as  I  have  demonstrated  in  my 
volumes  xiv.  and  xv. " 

I  furnished  M.  Ollivier  with  all  the  information  he 
desired,  and  he  wrote  (October  14,  191 1) : 

"  The  various  letters  in  which  you  have  so  obligingly  given 
me  the  information  which  I  asked  you  for,  and  the  excellent 
article  [in  which  I  had  defended  him  from  an  attack  in  re  the 
'  light  heart  *  phrase]  you  have  sent  me,  have  given  me  extreme 
pleasure.  They  prove  your  love  of  and  respect  for  the  truth. 
I  thank  you  a  thousand  times,  and  am  still  more  sensible  of 
the  beautiful  dedication  which  you  have  so  kindly  written. 

"  (Signed)  Emile  Ollivier."  t 

*  "  The  Comedy  and  Tragedy  of  the  Second  Empire  "  (dedi- 
cated to  him). 

t  His  handwriting  was  very  large,  bold,  firm  and  somewhat 
resembled  that  of  a  boy  of  seven  or  eight. 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER     89 

M.  Ollivier's  letter  of  thanks  shows  that  he  was 
greatly  soothed  by  my  assurance  that,  upon  investiga- 
tion, I  had  ascertained  that  the  statement  quoted 
by  me  and  attributed  to  the  Empress  Eugenie  ["  I 
shall  know  how  to  get  rid  of  them  "]  referred  only 
to  General  Fleury,  not  to  M.  Ollivier. 

M.  Welschinger,  with  whom  Ollivier  was  so  char- 
acteristically irate,  is  the  author  of  the  admirable 
and,  I  believe,  reliable  and  thoroughly  impartial 
work,  "  Les  Causes  et  les  Responsabilites  de  la  Guerre 
de  1870,"  which  appeared  in  19 10.  One  of  the  pass- 
ages in  my  book  concerning  him  which  evoked 
Ollivier's  wrath  is  as  follows  : — 


"  An  extraordinary  story,  told  by  M.  Welschinger,"  I  wrote, 
**  makes  one  wonder  whether  some  of  those  surrounding-  the 
Empress  in  1870  were  in  their  right  minds.  It  was  proposed 
that  the  King  of  Prussia  should  be  asked  to  write  a  letter  to 
Napoleon  III.  to  satisfy  the  6nergum^nes  [fanatics],  of  whom 
the  Empress  was  one,  and  the  Due  de  Gramont  actually 
drafted  and  sent  to  the  King  a  note  of  what  his  Majesty  was 
to  say  !  King  William  had  been  very  pleased  when  he  thought 
that  all  danger  of  war  had  vanished  by  the  withdrawal  of 
the  HohenzoUern  Prince  from  the  Spanish  candidature,  and 
in  so  uselessly  and  gratuitously  wounding  him  the  French 
Cabinet  alienated  the  only  person  who  could  check  Bismarck. 
King  William  was  disgusted.  '  Was  there  ever  such  insol- 
ence? '  he  wrote  to  Queen  Augusta.  '  They  want  me  to  appear 
before  the  world  as  a  repentant  sinner.'  " 

Reference  to  volumes  xv.  and  xvi.  of  "  L'Empire 
Liberal  "  will  show  that  Gramont  did,  as  M.  Wel- 
schinger stated,  and  as  I  quoted  from  his  book, 
draft  and  send  a  letter  to  the  King  coolly  telling  him, 
in  so  many  words,  what  he  was  to  say !  All  that 
Ollivier   denies  is  that  what  was   demanded  was   a 


90     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

lettre  d'excuses.  On  this  point  it  is  difficult  to  agree 
with  him. 

During  his  gilded  and  in  every  way  agreeable 
captivity  in  Germany,  in  1 870-1 871,  the  Emperor  said  : 
"  Ollivier  is  not  responsible  for  the  war.  He  is 
as  innocent  as  I  am.  My  enemies  know  that  well,  and 
so  does  M,  Bismarck.  Ollivier  is  not  responsible 
for  any  of  the  misfortunes  of  France.  Neither  he  nor 
I  desired  war."  * 

This  handsome  tribute  does  not  deter  Ollivier  from 
speaking  his  mind  about  Napoleon  HI.  Inter  alia 
he  says  : — 

"  The  first  evidence  I  instinctively  had,  which  was  confirmed 
by  all  the  evidence,  was  that  our  ill-luck  at  the  outset  was  due 
to  the  pitiable  state  of  health  of  the  Emperor ;  that  his  being 
in  command  had  compromised  the  army  and  would  finish  it  if 
someone  did  not  remove  him.  .  .  .  From  letters  and  visits  I 
gathered  that  the  unanimous  opinion  was  that  it  was  physically 
impossible  for  him  to  continue  in  supreme  command.  '  He 
does  not  command,'  they  said,  'and  he  will  not  allow  anyone 
else  to  command.*  " 

There  were  early  signs  that  the  "  solidity  "  of 
the  army  was  weakening.  The  intolerable  va-et-vient 
over  the  same  ground  was  tiring  it.  It  was  troubled 
by  the  reports  of  the  defeats  of  Worth  and  Forbach. 
It  was  no  longer  the  "  invincible  "  army;  but  with 
an  active  chief  at  its  head  Ollivier  thought  it  would 
regain  its  moral ;  otherwise  all  was  lost.  One  way  of 
retiring  the  Emperor  from  his  command  was  to 
replace  him  at  the  head  of  the  State  by  recalling  him 
to  Paris.  To  those  who  urged  that  such  a  course 
would   be   unprecedented  the   encyclopaedic   Ollivier 

*"  WilhelmshShe,"  by  Dr  Mels,  the  Emperor's  medical  attend- 
ant during  his  Majesty's  "  imprisonment." 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER    91 

produced  two  precedents — the  cases  of  the  Tsars 
Alexander  I.  (1812)  anH  Nicholas  I.  (1828-1829). 
The  return  of  Napoleon  to  Paris  in  August  would 
have  secured  him  the  thanks  of  the  nation  and  also 
put  an  end  to  the  Regency.  Either  the  Emperor  as 
Commander-in-Chief,  or  the  Regency,  said  Ollivier, 
must  be  suppressed.  But  neither  of  these  possibilities 
happened.  The  Empress  had  many  remarkable  gifts, 
but  that  of  "  authority  "  was  not  among  them.  It 
was  a  quality  which  emanated  naturally  from  the 
Emperor,  causing  certain  men  to  follow  him  blindly 
without  question.  "  With  him  at  the  head  of  affairs 
in  Paris  many  things  would  have  been  easy ;  with  the 
Empress  as  Regent  such  things  would  have  been," 
in  fact  were,  "  difficult,  if  not  impossible." 

Every  conceivable  change  was  effected  except 
this  one,  the  most  desirable  of  all  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Empire's  best  friends.  Napoleon  III.,  strongly 
supported  by  "  our  cousin,"  the  often  intractable 
Prince  Napoleon,  had  fully  reconciled  himself  to  it. 
The  Empress  would  not  assent  to  Ollivier's  proposal, 
although  there  was  a  moment  when,  amidst  her  tears, 
she  appeared  to  be  giving  way  to  the  Prime  Minister's 
entreaties  to  save  the  army,  the  dynasty,  and  the 
country  by  "  permitting  "  her  consort  and  their  son 
to  return.  At  this  moment  a  full  week  had  not 
elapsed  since  the  clash  of  arms  was  first  heard  at 
Saarbriicken  (August  2),  but  already  three  sanguinary 
battles  had  been  fought,  and  the  thinking  world 
regarded  France  as  a  spent  force.  The  boldest 
prophets  had  not  predicted  the  imminence  of  a  Sedan, 
the  capture  of  an  army  of  80,000  survivors, ,  the 
personal  surrender  of  the  Emperor,  and  his  imprison- 
ment in  Germany  for  nearly  seven  months. 


92     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Ollivier  knew  more  than  most  men  about  the  causes 
of  and  responsibilities  for  the  war,  but  there  was  one 
living  within  rifle  range  of  Aldershot  who  knew  even 
more  than  the  author  of  "  L' Empire  Liberal,"  although 
he  was  too  modest  to  admit  it.  M.  Franceschini  Pietri 
had  been  in  England  forty-five  years,  but  outside  of 
Farnborough  Hill  he  was  not  much  better  known 
by  the  English  public  than  when  he  arrived  at 
Chislehurst  from  Wilhelmshohe  with  the  Emperor 
in  March,  1871.  I  did  not  think  I  should  have  had 
occasion  again  to  name  him.  It  is,  however,  appro- 
priate to  present  him  here  as,  until  his  death  in  191 5, 
he  was  the  only  survivor  of  the  men  of  the  Second 
Empire  who  could  have  revealed  to  us  the  whole  story 
of  the  events  many  of  which,  but  not  all,  have 
been  narrated  by  Ollivier.  The  most  amiable  and 
gentle  of  men,  he  was  likewise  the  most  reticent :  he 
personified  Silence.  I  have  been  the  flattered  recipient 
of  many  letters  from  him  in  the  course  of  years. 
Only  one  was  meant  for  publication,  but  it  was  of 
exceptional  importance,  for  in  it  M.  Pietri  revealed 
the  secret  of  the  forged  "  Memoirs  "  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie  which,  at  all  hazards,  will,  I  suspect,  be 
thrown  on  the  book-markets  of  the  world  some  day, 
for  it  is  known  that  thousands  of  copies  were  printed 
in  all  languages  and  bound,  ready  for  issue  at  any 
moment.     (Vide  Chapter  V.) 

In  the  years  1866- 1870  the  French  Military  Attache 
at  Berlin  was  Colonel  Stoffel.  His  reports  on  Prussian 
military  affairs — reforms,  preparations  for  contingen- 
cies and  the  like — were  intended  to  be  warnings 
to  Napoleon  III.  and  his  ministers.  Had  they  been 
heeded  there  would  have  been  no  war  in  1870,  and  we 
should  have  had  no   "  apology  for  my  life  "   from 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER    93 

M.  Emile '  Ollivier.  Colonel  Stoffel's  reports — or 
many  of  them — were  sent  to  M.  Pietri,  and  by  him 
handed  to  the  Emperor.  Stoffel  and  Pietri  also 
corresponded  privately.  One  day  I  was  surprised 
at  seeing  in  a  leading  Paris  review  *  a  series  of 
letters  exchanged  between  Stoffel  and  the  Emperor 
Napoleon's  (later  the  Empress  Eugenie's)  secretary. 
One  of  these  letters  tends  to  exculpate  Ollivier.  In 
1 87 1  M.  Pietri  wrote  to  Colonel  Stoffel  : 

"  I  have  always  done  you  justice,  and  to-day  more  than 
ever  I  recognise  that  you  were  right,  and  that  if  you  had  been 
listened  to  we  should  not  have  been  where  we  are ;  but  all 
were  blind — Ministers,  statesmen,  the  Deputies  who  were  in 
the  majority  and  those  who  formed  the  opposition.  Everybody 
worked  against  the  country.  The  Emperor  alone,  perhaps, 
saw  correctly,  but  blocked  every  moment  by  the  remarks  of 
some,  and  by  the  ill-will  of  others,  he  was  carried  away  and 
unable  to  carry  out  many  of  the  plans  which  he  had  formed. 
I  admit  that  he  must  bear  the  responsibility,  for  in  this  world 
there  must  always  be  a  scapegoat ;  but  opinion  will  calm  down, 
and  by  degrees  will  better  appreciate  the  responsibility  of  each. 
The  Emperor's  responsibility  will  then  be  lessened." 

M.  Pietri's  opinion,  as  expressed  in  this  letter,  will 
strike  many  as  of  greater  value  than  anything  con- 
tained in  either  of  the  seventeen  volumes  of  "  L' Empire 
Liberal,"  and  for  this  reason  :  all  that  Ollivier  has 
written  was  intended  for  publication;  M.  Pietri  could 
hardly  have  anticipated  that  his  letters  to  Stoffel 
would  one  day  see  the  light.  I  cannot  guess  what 
impulse  moved  him  to  allow  these  letters  to  appear 
during  the  Empress's  lifetime.     It  will  be  seen  that  he 

*The  "  Revue  de  Paris,"  June  15 — July  i,  191 1.  M.  Pietri's 
valuable  letters  occupy  several  pages  of  "  The  Comedy  and 
Tragedy  of  the  Second  Empire,"  published  by  Messrs  Harper  & 
Brothers,  London  and  New  York. 


94     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

does  not  refer  to  any  individual  by  name,  except 
the  Emperor.  With  one  sweep  of  the  pen  he  makes 
all  responsible.  "  Everybody  worked  against  the 
country."  They  had  been  so  working  for  years  :  many 
authentic  records  of  the  time  prove  it. 

Only  M.  Pietri  could  have  answered  this  question : 
"  Were  Stoffel's  reports  seen  and  read  by  Ollivier.''  " 
Marshal  Niel,  Le  Boeuf 's  predecessor  as  War  Minister, 
must  have  seen  them,  for  M.  Pietri  tells  us  that 
after  his  appointment  to  that  post  Niel  "  accomplished 
veritable  tours  de  force  ";  and  he  significantly  adds 
(March  22,  1868):  "  We  can  say  that  we  are  ready 
for  all  events."     Le  Boeuf  did  not  say  more. 

In  another  letter  to  Stoffel  (May  28,  1868)  M.  Pietri 
says :  "  You  appear  to  be  highly  thought  of  at  the 
Ministry  of  War,  where  your  reports  are  appreciated 
in  a  manner  very  flattering  to  you.  ...  I  am  happy 
to  tell  you  to-day  that  our  military  position  is  superb. 
Never  have  we  had  so  many  resources — never  a  finer 
army."  *  What  more  did  Le  Boeuf  say.-^  Ollivier 
was  much  less  precise. 

When  Thiers  came  into  power  Stoffel  got  his 
reward  :  on  some  frivolous  pretext  he  was  dismissed 
from  the  army,  and  died  in  1907  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
eight.  While  Stoffel  was  so  splendidly  serving  France 
at  Berlin,  the  Prussian  Military  Attache  at  Paris 
was  General  von  Loe,  whose  reports  convinced  his 
Government  of  the  inferiority  of  the  French  army. 
In  two  of  Ollivier's  volumes  (xiv.  and  xvi.)  I  have  not 
met  with  the  names  of  these  attaches,  all-important 
as  were  the  parts  they  played  in  the  four  years  pre- 
ceding   the    war.     As    regards    Stoffel,    I    find   that 

* "  The  Comedy  and  Tragedy  of  the  Second  Empire." 
Harper  &  Brothers,  London  and  New  York. 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER    95 

during  the  war  the  "  Times"  published  extracts  from  his 
reports,  with  the  comment  that  "  it  was  a  puzzle  how 
anyone  who  had  read  those  documents  could  have 
ever  dreamed  of  plunging  France  into  a  war  with 
Prussia."  Yet  Stoffel  has  been  unaccountably  over- 
looked by  many  historians  of  the  period,  and  it  was  to 
M.  Pietri  that  we  are  now  indebted  for  our  most 
extensive  knowledge  of  "  the  man  who  gave  the 
warning  "  which  should  have  saved  France. 

As  Stoffel's  reports  were  under  the  eyes  of  Marshal 
Niel,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  Marshal  Le  Boeuf  saw 
them,  in  which  case  the  latter  was  justified  in  saying, 
a  few  days  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war :  "  We  are 
ready,  more  than  ready."  *  What  he  did  not  say 
was  "  il  ne  nous  manque  pas  un  bouton  de  guetre," 
although  this  "  corporal's  language,"  as  Ollivier  terms 
it,  has  been  used  against  him  for  forty-five  years. 

Le  Boeuf  and  Ollivier  were  on  intimate  terms,  and 
the  latter  claims  that  he  has  completely  rehabilitated 
his  friend,  as  in  volume  xvii.  he  presents  an  innocent, 
unfortunate  Bazaine.  It  is,  then,  also  fair  to  assume 
— yet  it  is  only  an  assumption — that  Ollivier  knew 
all  about  Stoffel's  reports,  and  that,  fortified  by 
Le  Boeuf's  promptings,  in  a  measure  based  upon 
those  documents,  he  felt  justified  in  expressing  the 
belief  that  France  could  embark  on  war  with  Prussia 
with  full  confidence  in  the  result.  Ollivier  is,  like  the 
Emperor,  very  firm  in  his  declaration  that  Le  Boeuf 
was  in  no  way  blameable.  I  suggest  that  when  that 
general  asserted  the  readiness  of  France  to  enter 
upon  war  he  spoke,  in  the  accepted  legal  phrase, 
according  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  belief. 

*  Nous  sommes  pr6ts,  archi-prets,"  the  phrase  which  de- 
stroyed Le  Boeuf,  as  the  "  cceur  l^ger  "  destroyed  Ollivier. 


96     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

He  should  have  added,  after  "  we  are  ready,  more 
than  ready,"  the  saving  clause,  "  provided  that  all  do 
their  duty."  He  had  no  reason  to  suppose  that  some 
chiefs  of  departments  would  fail  him  at  the  critical 
moment  and  that  others  would  lose  their  heads. 
To  ridicule  and  cast  opprobrium  upon  men  like 
Ollivier,  Le  Boeuf  and  Bazaine  must  necessarily  be 
the  reverse  of  gratifying  to  their  successors ;  similarly 
we  fail  to  appreciate  criticisms  of  our  statesmen  and 
generals  by  foreigners.  We  have  had,  even  recently, 
our  own  failures ;  but  only  the  few  recall  them  when 
fancied  opportunities  to  do  so  arise,  although  there 
can  always  be  found  in  every  country  superior  persons 
ready  to  spoil  good  paper  by  resurrecting  the  defects 
of  those  endowed  with  less  intelligence  than  them- 
selves. "  'Tis  not  in  mortals  to  command  success," 
but  most  men  endeavour  to  deserve  it.  France,  in 
1870,  had  many  good  generals  and  some  who,  for 
various  reasons,  fell  far  below  the  expectations  which 
had  been  formed  of  them.  All  who  saw  the  French 
forces  in  the  field  forty-five  years  ago  have  borne 
witness  to  their  valour.  Their  cavalry  charges  at 
Sedan,  led  by  De  Galliffet  and  others,  can  never  be 
forgotten.  The  artillery  duel  on  that  day,  I  remember, 
was  waged  from  early  morning  until  the  late  after- 
noon. The  French  infantry,  like  the  Germans,  fought 
stubbornly  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  until 
it  was  obvious  that  further  resistance  would  have 
been  madness;  then  it  was  that  the  agonised  Emperor 
stopped  the  carnage.  Bearing  in  mind  all  the  cir- 
cumstances it  was  not  very  surprising  that  insubordina- 
tion broke  out,  not  in  the  field,  but  in  the  doomed 
town  of  Sedan.  That  was  the  culminating  misfortune 
of  the  day  for  France;  but  surely  it  was  more  a 
matter  for  pity  than  for  harsh  criticism. 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER    97 

Historians — competent  ones — agree,  as  does  Olli- 
vier,  that  the  presence  of  the  Emperor  with  the  army 
was  a  calamity  of  itself.     His  health  was  so  bad  that 
he  could  be  of  no  use.     In   his   early   days — when 
he  was  a  prisoner  at  Ham — he  had  been  a  devoted 
student    of    military    subjects.     Between    1866    and 
1870  (as  we  now  know  from  M.   Pietri's  letters  to 
Stoffel)    he    had    read    very    attentively    the    latter's 
reports,    and   should    consequently   have    been    able 
to  gauge  the  value  of  the  Prussian  army.     But  he 
does  not  seem  to  have  derived  much  practical  benefit 
from    his    study    of    those    illuminating    documents. 
It  was  not,  needless  to  say,  for  him  to  prepare  the 
plan  of  campaign ;  that  was  based  partly  on  the  ideas 
of  Marshals  Niel  and  Le  Boeuf,  the  War  Ministers; 
MacMahon,    Bazaine,    Frossard,    Trochu   and   other 
generals  following  the  trend  of  their  own  ideas — good 
sometimes,   but  too   frequently  indifferent.     Bazaine, 
for  example,  after  doing  magnificently,  allowed  him- 
self to  be  shut  up,  with  his  fine  army,  none  finer,  in 
Metz;    and  MacMahon,  weary  of  protesting,  allowed 
himself  to  be  driven  into  Moltke's  mouse-trap.     He 
was,  however,  acting  on  orders,  and  so  must  be  held 
wholly  blameless.     Admittedly  the    French  had   no 
one    gifted    with    the    strategic    genius    of    Moltke, 
although  they  had  more  than  one   Steinmetz.  *     If 
enthusiasm  could  always  be  relied  upon  to  win  battles, 
the  French  would  have  won  many,  as  they  have  done 
in  1 9 1 4- 1 9 1 5  and  will  do  again.     But  enthusiasm  minus 
consummate  generalship,  such,  for  example,  as  that 
of  Joffre  and  French,  is  of  little  avail.     The  German 
plans    were   cut-and-dried,    and   had    been    in    their 

*This  general  was  superseded  in  his  command,  as  his  brain 
had  become  affected. 


98     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

pigeon-holes  almost  long  enough  to  have  got  dusty; 
but  I  will  venture  to  say  that,  when  they  were  taken 
out  and  fondly  looked  at,  early  in  July,  when  Benedetti 
began,  by  order,  his  senseless  worryings  of  King 
William  at  Ems,  they  were  virgin  white — not  a  speck 
of  dust  upon  them.  On  the  other  side  there  was,  of 
course,  Trochu  with  his  famous  "plan,"  which  was 
seen  to  be  useless  on  the  first  day  it  was  attempted 
to  put  it  into  practice  (August  2,  at  Saarbriicken). 
Yet  on  that  day  the  French  gained  a  "  victory  " 
— their  first  and  last.  And  it  was  won  merely  by 
overpowering  numbers ;  even  so,  Frossard  blundered 
badly  by  not  taking  advantage  of  the  "  success  " 
by  following  it  up ;  for  the  handful  of  Germans  had 
to  fly  for  their  lives.  At  that  time,  as  I  have  cause 
to  remember,  and  for  several  days  after,  the  German 
forces,  as  I  saw  "  with  my  eyes,"  were  still  being 
mobilised.  Prince  Hohenlohe  says  in  his  "Memoirs"  : 
"  We  left  Berlin  on  July  30,  and  it  was  not  until  August 
16  that  all  our  troops  were  collected  together."  But 
in  the  interim  some  of  the  greatest  battles  of  the 
campaign  were  won  by  the  invaders. 

"  The  whirligig  of  Time  "  brought  Ollivier  his 
"  revenge  "  for  all  the  contumely  which  was  heaped 
upon  him.  What  the  world  at  large,  with  a  sublime 
indifference  to,  and  ignorance  of,  the  exact  grammatical 
meaning  of  his  coeur  leger,  condemned  and  still  con- 
demns him  for  uttering  in  the  Chamber  has  had  the 
happy  result  of  placing  him  in  the  shrine  of  Memory. 

Emile  Ollivier  had  three  homes :  one  in  the  Rue 
Desbordes-Valmore,  Passy;  another,  his  "  hermi- 
tage," at  St  Gervais,  in  the  Savoy  mountains,  where  he 
died  on  the  30th  of  August,  191 3  ;  and  a  third  at  St 
Tropez,   in  the   Mediterranean,  at  the  point  of   the 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER    99 

Cap  de  la  Moutte,  where  he  was  buried.  Rising 
at  daybreak,  he  began  work  immediately,  and  con- 
tinued it  uninterruptedly  until  the  evening.  When, 
in  his  latter  years,  his  eyesight  failed  him,  he  dictated 
to  his  two  secretaries,  his  wife  and  daughter.  Those 
who  have  read  his  seventeen  volumes,  bristling  with 
names,  dates  and  extracts  from  books,  letters,  diaries 
and  journals,  varied  and  illustrated  by  quotations 
from  classic  authors,  will  realise  the  arduous  duties  of 
his  assistants. 

"  He  could  not  prevent  himself  from  being  eloquent.  He  was 
so  even  in  conversation.  His  Sunday  receptions  at  Passy  were 
a  fete  de  la  parole,  and  will  remain  graven  in  the  memories 
of  the  few  friends  who  faithfully  grouped  themselves  round 
him.  He  seemed  at  first  somewhat  distrait,  as  if  he  was  in  a 
dream  which  he  could  not  banish ;  but  when  a  matter  of  general 
interest  came  up,  when  allusions  to  historical  events  were  made, 
or  someone  referred  to  contemporary  discussions,  he  was 
suddenly  metamorphosed.  He  liked  best  to  evoke  his  souvenirs 
of  the  Liberal  Empire.  He  so  described  the  actors  in  those 
scenes  that  his  listeners  saw  them.  It  was  a  marvel  of 
evocation.  I  remember  Henry  Houssaye  saying  one  day  of 
these  evenings  at  Passy  :  *  Never  in  my  life  have  I  heard 
anything  more  beautiful.'  He  might  have  added  :  '  Or  more 
impressive.'  The  man  was  charming,  with  his  grace,  his 
desire  to  please  and  a  sort  of  natural  coquetry.  He  loved  to 
share  the  cares  of  others.  He  who  had  seen  so  much,  and 
had  had  such  rough  experiences,  had  preserved  an  ingenuous- 
ness, a  candour,  I  might  almost  say  a  naivet^,  which  made  all 
love  him  immediately  they  were  brought  into  contact  with  him. 
He  lived  the  simplest  life,  indifferent  to  luxury,  comfort  and 
exterior  pleasures.  To  tell  the  truth,  he  was  insensible  to  all 
these.  He  lived  with  his  thoughts,  I  often  saw  him  in  the 
bosom  of  his  family  at  the  chalet  of  St  Gervais  where  he  spent 
his  summers.  It  is  a  rustic  chSlet,  almost  a  peasant's  house. 
Close  by  is  the  glorious  panorama  of  the  Alps.  His  great 
happiness  was  his  daily  walk  in  the  incomparable  region. 
In  the  winter  he  went  to  his  home  at  the  Moutte,  near  St  Tropez, 


loo    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

where    he   passed   the   cold    months    in  work   and    meditation. 
There  he  had  prepared  his  tomb,  and  there  he  sleeps."  * 

About  Ollivier  the  man  there  was  something  of 
a  Gladstonian  charm  and  obstinacy.  It  happened  that 
one  of  my  friends  spent  many  hours  with  the  author 
of  "  L' Empire  Liberal  "  at  Passy,  a  few  weeks  before 
his  death  in  August,  19 13,  discussing  with  him  a 
proposal  to  issue  his  final  volume  in  a  new  cheap  series 
of  eminent  authors.  Ollivier  had  just  celebrated  his 
eighty-eighth  birthday — a  period  when  the  majority 
of  men  think  more  about  "  making  their  soul  "  than 
about  the  making  of  books.  But  he  greeted  the 
idea  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  a  literary  beginner. 
There  was  a  hitch  in  the  negotiations.  Ollivier's 
publishers  disapproved  of  the  proposition,  and  it 
was  certainly  within  their  right  to  object,  for  the 
volumes  of  "  L' Empire  Liberal  "  are  priced  at 
3  f.  50  c,  and  the  issue  of  one  of  them,  also  in 
French,  by  a  rival,  at  a  shilling,  seemed  to  them  a 
thing  to  avoid.  Hence  a  contest  between  author  and 
publishers.  But  even  literary  quarrels  come  to  an 
end  sooner  or  later,  and  Ollivier  ended  this  one  in  his 
fearless  old  fashion.  "  If,"  he  declared  emphatically, 
"  they  continue  to  object,  I  will  bring  an  action 
against  them."  Then  matters  "  arranged  them- 
selves." "  Now,"  he  remarked  gleefully,  "  I  can 
say,  '  Nunc  Dimittis.'  " 

The  "  Libre  Parole  "  is  the  organ  of  M.  Edouard 
Drumont,  noted  for  his  active  participation  in  the 
"  Judenhetze,"  and  in  that  journal  he  devoted  a 
sympathetic   article   to    Ollivier   two   Hays   after   his 

*  Ren6  Doumic  (de  1 'Academic  Frangaise),  in  the  "  Gaulois," 
August,  1913. 


EMPEROR,  EMPRESS  &  LAST  PREMIER  loi 

death,  thus  discounting  the  effect  produced  by  a 
"disabling"  obituary  notice,  published  on  the  previous 
day  in  the  same  paper  from  the  pen  of  M.  Paul 
Vergnet,  who  wrote  :  "  D'un  coeur  leger  M.  Emile 
Ollivier  nous  mena  a  Sedan."  This  leads  me  to 
note  that  Ollivier  said  to  a  mutual  friend  a  month 
before  his  death  :  "  I  must  tell  you  that  I  have  never 
felt  the  least  hurt  by  the  use  of  this  phrase  against 
me;  nor  haVe  I  ever  attributed  my  unpopularity  to 
it.  That  unpopularity  resulted  from  other  causes, 
and  would  have  existed  even  if  I  had  never  spoken 
of  a  '  light  heart.'  Do  not  unduly  exaggerate  little 
things." 


CHAPTER    X 

THE    EMPRESS    IN     HER   OWN 
COUNTRY 

In  19 1 5  the  Empress  once  more  visited  Spain.  Her 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  Royal  House  extends 
over  a  period  of  seventy  years.  She  saw  Queen 
Isabella  married  in  1846;  after  she  had  become  the 
consort  of  Napoleon  III.  she  visited  the  Queen  in 
1863;  and  in  1868,  when  Isabella  was  compelled 
to  leave  Spain,  the  Emperor  and  Empress  received 
her  at  Biarritz.  For  a  couple  of  years  or  so  the  sons 
of  the  ex-Queen  and  the  Empress  were  playmates  in 
Paris.  Later,  the  two  youths  had  renewed  their 
childish  friendship  in  London,  when  the  late 
Alfonso  XII.  was  a  Sandhurst  student  and  the  Prince 
Imperial  was  being  prepared  for  Woolwich.  Isabella's 
son  ascended  the  throne  in  January,  1875,  and  as, 
between  that  date  and  the  end  of  1879,  when  the 
Comtesse  de  Montijo  passed  away,  the  Empress 
visited  her  mother  at  Madrid,  she  could  hardly  have 
failed  to  see  the  late  King,  who  had  begun  to  reign 
a  few  days  before  his  eighteenth  birthday.  Thus, 
from  1846,  first  as  Mile  de  Montijo,  then  as  Empress, 
and  later  as  a  dethroned  sovereign,  the  august  lady, 
godmother  of  the  present  Queen,  has  been  au  mieux 
with  the  members  of  the  Royal  House  of  Spain. 

Before  the  engagement  of  Alfonso  XIII.  to  the 
only  daughter  of  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg  the 

102 


IN   HER   OWN    COUNTRY  103 

Empress  was  again  seen  at  Madrid.  The  King's 
gaze — so  it  was  said — had  been  turned  in  another 
direction ;  but  the  attraction  appears  not  to  have  been 
mutual.  Let  us  (for  it  will  do  no  great  harm)  take 
the  romantic  view  of  the  situation,  and  assume  that 
the  venerable,  and  always  delightful,  chatelaine  of 
Farnborough  Hill  appeared  on  the  scene,  fulfilled 
the  role  of  fairy  godmother  with  complete  success, 
and  was  the  means  of  making  two  young  people  very 
happy.  Such  things  do  not  often  happen  out  of  the 
story-books ;  but  every  rule  has  its  exception. 

At  Madrid,  then,  in  1915,  the  Empress  was  chez  elle. 
Everything  she  saw  was  more  or  less  familiar  to  her. 
Many  of  the  faces  were  new. 

In  January,  1875,  in  the  war  time,  I  was  at  the 
late  King's  "  reception."  The  army,  the  navy,  the 
official  world,  the  professions  and  the  trades  sent  their 
picked  men.  Beautiful  women,  and  others,  swarmed. 
It  was  less  a  Royal  than  an  Aladdin's  Palace. 
Four  Englishmen  * — no,  one  was  an  Italian,  by  name 
Gallenga — did  homage  to  the  boy- King,  who  stood 
the  ordeal  of  the  interminable  defile  as  one  petrified, 
gazing  not  at  the  bespangled  throng,  but  over  their 
heads.  He  who  was  to  be  thereafter  known  as  the 
"  Rey-Caballero,"  standing  on  the  dais  for  long  hours, 
looked  as  one  in  a  dream.  Eleven  days  before 
I  had  seen  him,  in  Paris,  taking  farewell  of  his 
mother  at  the  Gare  de  Lyon,  and  Count  Mirasol 
and  Colonel  Velasco  (his  "  governors  "  while  he 
was  at  Sandhurst)  were  bidding  him  hasten,  for  the 
Marseilles  rapide  was  starting,  and  would  wait  for  no 

*  Mr  Gallenga  ("  Times  "),  Mr  G.  A.  Sala  ("  Daily  Tele- 
graph),  Mr  A.  Forbes  ("Daily  News"),  and  the  author 
("  Morning  Post").     Only  the  last  survives  in  1916. 


I04     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

man,  be  he  king  or  peasant.  I  had,  and  presented, 
a  letter  of  introduction  to  King  Alfonso,  and  was 
invited  to  travel  to  Spain  with  the  suite  as  the 
representative  of  the  "  Morning  Post."  It  was  one  of 
my  own  "  great  "  years. 

On  the  1 6th  of  May,  1909,  the  niece  of  King  Edward 
had  been  Queen  of  Spain  three  years  less  a  fortnight, 
and  the  Empress  had  an  opportunity  of  gauging 
the  sentiments  of  the  ruling  classes  vis-a-vis  her 
goddaughter.  In  those  three  years  the  august  god- 
mother had  doubtless,  as  we  all  had,  heard  and  read 
not  a  little  concerning  Queen  Victoria  Eugenie's 
popularity  or  otherwise.  One  thing  is  certain  :  by  all 
she  was  admitted  to  be  "  a  beautiful  girl."  "  Es 
una  real  moya  " — this  was  the  phrase  on  everybody's 
lips.  But  what  your  Spaniard  says  to-day  has  been 
known  to  differ  from  what  he  has  said  on  the  morrow. 
When,  in  1875,  I  could  not  conceal  my  amazement 
at  the  frantic  demonstrations  of  joy  evoked  at 
Barcelona,  at  Valencia,  at  Madrid  and  at  Saragossa  at 
the  sight  of  the  erewhile  Sandhurst  Cadet,  some 
who  had  long  resided  in  the  Peninsula  waxed 
sarcastic  over  the  "  vivas,"  and  the  triumphal  arches, 
and  the  flights  of  the  gaily  decorated  pigeons,  and  the 
addresses  of  welcome.  All  these  outward  tokens  of 
enthusiasm,  they  told  me,  had  greeted  King  Amadeus 
(afterwards  Prince  Napoleon's  brother-in-law),  who, 
none  the  less,  after  reigning  some  three  years,  had 
taken  the  only  course  which  seemed  open  to  him — 
that  of  abdication.  A  handful  of  officials  gathered 
at  the  railway  station  to  "  speed  the  parting  guest," 
and  "  saw  him  off  "  with  much  composure.  But  tears 
glistened  in  the  ex-King's  eyes. 

While  the  Empress's  goddaughter  won  aristocrats 


IN   HER   OWN   COUNTRY  105 

and  plebeians  alike  by  her  personal  loveliness,  the 
Madrilenians  soon  began  to  criticise  her  "  English 
ways."  This  was  a  repetition  of  the  treatment  meted 
out  to  Queen  Marie  Christine,  who,  for  a  long  time 
after  her  marriage  with  Alfonso  XII.,  was  contemptu- 
ously spoken  of  as  "  The  Austrian."  The  consort 
of  Alfonso  XIII.  (cousin  of  King  George  V.)  was 
voted  too  exclusive.  One  day  she  had  actually  com- 
plained to  an  official  that  the  Palace  stairs  were 
dusty;  and  people  went  about  saying  that  it  was 
undignified  for  a  queen  to  notice  such  trifles.  Queen 
Victoria  Eugenie  did  not  appreciate  the  free-and-easy 
way  in  which  the  sovereign  people — some  in  rags 
and  some  in  tags — stroll  about  the  precincts  of  the 
Palace.  All  the  street  urchins  and  beggars  of  Madrid 
assemble  (I  have  seen  them)  in  the  morning  to  witness 
the  guard-mounting  in  the  fortress  which  forms  part 
of  the  Palace;  they  may  enter  the  inner  courtyard 
from  the  Orient  Square  at  all  hours  of  the  day; 
neither  sentries  nor  halberdiers  take  any  notice  of 
them.  So  different  from  the  iron  rules  in  force  at 
Buckingham  Palace,  where  those  who  gather  when 
the  guard  is  being  changed  are  made  to  stand  at  a 
respectful  distance  from  the  gilded  railings  ! 

As,  in  the  early  months  of  her  marriage.  Queen 
Marie  Christine,  surrounded  by  her  own  compatriots, 
had  been  found  "  too  Austrian,"  so  complaints  were 
rife  that  the  consort  of  Alfonso  XIII.  was  "  too 
English  " ;  in  other  words,  she  had  failed  to  become 
"  espagnolisee."  On  the  day  (it  was  a  Sunday) 
following  the  return  of  the  young  Sovereigns  from 
their  first  visit  to  England,  there  was  an  immense 
gathering  at  the  Palace  to  witness  the  "  capilla." 
On  this  occasion  the  people  are  admitted  to  see  the 


io6     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

members  of  the  Royal  Family  pass  in  procession 
through  the  corridors  on  their  way  to  hear  Mass. 
The  crowd  of  foreigners  and  natives,  M.  Henri 
Charriault  tells  us,  was  particularly  large  on  that 
December  Sunday,  and  all  were  anxious  to  see  the 
Queen.  Her  Majesty  was  unfortunately  too  fatigued 
by  her  long  voyage  to  appear.  It  was  given  out 
that  she  had  a  sore  throat;  but  this  did  not  prevent 
her  from  being  seen  by  the  people  on  the  Palace 
terrace  in  the  evening-  "  The  story  was  circulated 
that  she  had  pretended  to  be  unwell  in  order  to  escape 
from  an  exhibition  which  wearied  her.  Nothing 
was,  however,  more  probable  than  that  the  journey 
had  caused  her  to  be  indisposed.  This  is  how  matters 
stand  at  Madrid." 

The  Empress's  grand-nephew,  the  Due  d'Albe, 
whom  she  has  occasionally  visited  at  Loeches,  where 
his  ancestors  are  buried,  was  born  at  Madrid  in 
October,  1878,  and  is  the  son  of  Carlos,  ninth  Duke 
of  Berwick  and  sixteenth  Due  d'Albe,  who  died 
on  board  Sir  Thomas  Lipton's  yacht  at  New  York  in 
October,  1901.  The  late  Due  was  the  nephew  of  the 
Empress  Eugenie,  his  predecessor  having  married 
her  Majesty's  only  sister,  Francisca  de  Montijo,  in 
1844,  and  died  in  1881,  twenty-one  years  after  his 
wife's  death.  The  present  Due  d'Albe,  whom  some 
of  us  saw  at  Farnborough  in  191 5,  is  a  descendant 
of  General  Ferdinand  Alvarez  de  Toledo,  that  lamb- 
like Duke  of  Alba  who  was  Stadtholder  of  the 
Netherlands  temp.  Philip  II. 

The  seventeenth  Due  d'Albe,  tenth  Duke  of  Berwick, 
and  Due  de  Leiria,  has  a  residence  at  Madrid  (the 
Leiria  Palace)  and  a  country  seat  at  Loeches,  eighteen 
miles  from  the  capital,  and  at  both  places  he  has 


IN   HER   OWN    COUNTRY  107 

entertained  his  Imperial  grand-aunt.  In  1906  his 
sister,  Dona  Sol  Stuart  Fitzjames,  married  the 
Duque  de  Santora,  brother-in-law  of  Lady  William 
Nevill  (daughter  of  the  Marquesa  de  Santurce, 
better  known  in  England  as  Mme  de  Murrieta,  and 
daughter-in-law  of  the  late  Marquis  of  Abergavenny). 
The  mother  of  the  Duquesa  de  Santona  will  be 
remembered  as  a  one-time  familiar  figure  in  the 
Leicestershire  hunting  fields;  the  Duquesa  herself 
is  credited  with  a  love  of  sport,  and  her  brother 
"  Alba  "  has  been  often  seen  in  the  polo  grounds  of 
Hurlingham  and  Ranelagh. 

Among  the  hostesses  of  the  Empress  was  the 
Duquesa  Fernan  Nunez,  who  has  given,  at  the 
Cervellon  Palace,  dinner-parties  in  honour  of  her 
Imperial  friend.  The  guests  have  comprised  the 
hostess's  children  and  relatives,  the  Due  d'Albe, 
the  Due  de  Montellano,the  Marquess  and  the  Marquesa 
La  Mina,  the  Conde  de  Montijo,  Prince  and  Princess 
Clement  Metternich,  and  other  friends. 

It  would  not  occupy  much  space  to  record  the 
appearances  made  by  the  Empress  at  dinner-tables  in 
England  since  the  autumn  of  1870.  Few  now  living 
can,  as  did  Lord  Ronald  Sutherland-Gower,  remember 
her  a  guest  at  London  houses  during  her  over  forty-five 
years'  residence  at  Chislehurst  and  Farnborough 
Hill.  At  Windsor  Castle  she  was  entertained  at 
long  intervals  by  Queen  Victoria,  and  when  the 
Empress  was  residing  in  Scotland  the  two  ladies 
frequently  met.  But  the  Empress  has  rarely  mingled 
in  general  society  in  England,  and  when  she  has 
been  staying  in  Paris  only  a  very  few  intimate  friends 
— the  Mouchys  and  the  Murats,  and  some  others — 
have    seen    her   at    their   dinner-tables.     It   was    an 


io8     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

event,  but  it  passed  unnoticed,  when,  in  December, 
1907,  she  lunched  for  the  last  time  at  Buckingham 
Palace  with  King  Edward  and  Queen  Alexandra. 
In  the  autumn  of  19 10  she  lunched  with  King  George 
and  the  Queen  at  Marlborough  House.  The  Empress 
has  often  received  members  of  our  Royal  House 
at  Farnborough  Hill — notably  Princess  Christian  and 
Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg — but  I  fail  to  remember 
if  King  Edward  and  his  consort  ever  dined  there. 

To  all  but  those  who  have  seen  the  Escurial  with 
their  own  eyes — not  merely  read  about  it  in  matter-of- 
fact  guide-books — the  bare  statement  that  the  Empress 
Eugenie  has  journeyed  thither  and  laid  wreaths 
on  the  tombs  of  the  sovereigns  and  infantas  whose 
place  of  sepulture  it  is  would  be  meaningless.  The 
Escurial  is  both  a  palace  and  a  monastery,  constructed 
by  Philip  II.  to  commemorate  a  great  victory  which 
his  troops  won  at  St  Quentin  on  the  loth  of  August, 
1557,  the  festival  of  St  Lawrence.  "  I  will  build 
a  hovel  for  myself,  a  palace  for  God,"  said  the  King, 
who  chose  a  site  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  Here 
lie  the  remains  of  all  the  Spanish  sovereigns,  beginning 
with  Charles  V.,  the  kings  on  one  side,  the  queens 
on  the  other,  in  separate  niches.  Philip  V.  was 
the  first  of  the  Bourbons  who  would  not  consent  to 
be  placed  among  his  predecessors  of  the  House  of 
Austria. 

As  visitors  leave  the  sepulchre  the  custodian — 
one  of  many  such — strikes  a  marble  plaque  in  the  wall 
and  says  significantly,  "  El  pudrido."  It  is  there 
that  the  dead  sovereigns'  bodies  decompose  and 
putrefy.  They  are  placed  on  a  grating,  under  a 
tap  of  ever-running  water,  and  not  deposited  in  their 
marble  urns  in  the  Pantheon  until  they  are  entirely 


IN   HER   OWN   COUNTRY  109 

decomposed,  and  only  skeletons  remain.  Some  years 
ago  all  that  remained  of  Alfonso  XII,  was  removed 
to  the  Pantheon;  the  body  of  the  present  King's 
grandmother,  Isabella  II.  (if  so  it  may  be  termed), 
reposes  where  it  was  originally  placed,  under  the  jet 
of  water.  Until  the  advent  of  the  Bourbons  the 
Royal  bodies  were  not  treated  in  this  manner,  but 
were  embalmed.  In  1870  the  coffin  of  Charles  V. 
was  opened,  and  fevealed  the  Emperor's  body  in 
a  state  of  remarkable  preservation.  "  Of  all  the 
others,"  asks  M.  Charriault,  "what  remains? 
Horror  seizes  us  when  we  think  of  the  unmentionable 
condition  of  the  greatest  of  the  great  in  this  world." 

Rousing  ourselves  from  this  nightmare,  we  get  a 
sensation  of  repose  upon  entering  the  Pantheon 
of  the  youthful  members  of  the  Royal  House  in 
their  white  marble  tombs.  This  crypt,  under  the 
sacristy,  was  repaired  by  Isabella  II.  and  the 
Montpensier  family.  *  Here  are  the  bodies  of  the 
young  Queen  Mercedes,  first  consort  of  Alfonso  XII., 
and  of  her  two  sisters.  Princesses  of  the  House 
of  Orleans,  cut  off  in  the  flower  of  their  youth,  one 
of  whom,  the  Infante  Christine,  had  been  affianced 
to  the  present  King's  father.  Both  are  represented 
reclining  upon  their  tomb.  Grouped  in  a  kind  of 
pyramid  of  coffins,  and  still  more  coffins,  are  those,  all 
white,  of  children,  apart  from  each  other,  and  supported 
by  sculptured  angels,  also  white.  They  are  the 
little  princes  of  the  Royal  House  who  entered  into 
their  last  sleep  at  a  tender  age. 

Very  familiar  to  the  Empress  are  the  portraits 
of  Charles  V.  and  Philip  II.     The  first  shows  a  man 

*  The  Comtesse  de  Paris,  mother  of  the  Due  d 'Orleans  and 
Queen  Amelie,  is  a  Montpensier. 


no    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

pale,  energetic,  with  powerful  jaw — a  man  of  action 
and  strong  will;  the  other,  the  son,  is  fair,  cold- 
looking,  of  a  Flemish  type,  with  an  enigmatical 
expression  and  a  disdainful  mouth. 

Quitting  the  monastery  visitors  find  themselves  in 
an  immense  park,  with  long  shady  alleys.  Through 
the  leafage  are  vistas  of  the  Guadarama  range.  At  the 
far  end  of  the  park  rises  the  Casita  del  Principe,  a 
bijou  palace,  built  for  that  Prince  of  Asturia  who 
became  Charles  IV.  It  is  a  museum  of  pictures, 
porcelain,  silk  hangings  and  ivory  ornaments.  But 
nothing  can  efface  the  gloomy  impression  derived 
from  the  lugubrious  necropolis.  There  are  three 
large  empty  tombs,  void  of  inscription  at  present. 
"  This  one,"  says  the  guide,  nonchalantly,  "  is  for 
the  Queen-Mother,  Maria  Christine ;  this,  for  Alfonso 
XIII.;  this,  for  Queen  Victoria  Eugenie.  They 
are  all  ready  !  " 


CHAPTER    XI 

PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE   EMPRESS 

On  January  9,  1873,  Napoleon  HI.,  Emperor  of  the 
French,  died  at  Camden  Place,  Chislehurst,  where 
he  had  resided  since  the  middle  of  March,  1871,  after 
being  in  captivity  at  the  Castle  of  Wilhelmshohe 
as  a  result  of  his  surrender  to  the  King  of  Prussia  on 
the  2nd  of  September,  1870,  the  day  after  the 
battle  of  Sedan.  That  tragedy  and  the  boy-Prince's 
"  baptism  of  fire  "  at  Saarbriicken  on  the  2nd  of 
August  I  have  recorded. 

Father  Goddard  gave  me  a  place  close  to  the  coffin 
at  the  funeral  in  the  little  Church  of  St  Mary,  and  on 
the  following  day  I  was  one  of  two  Englishmen  (my 
friend,  Captain  Baynes,  of  the  Metropolitan  Police, 
was  the  other)  who  were  privileged  to  be  present 
at  the  Empress's  reception  of  those  who  had  come 
from  France  to  pay  the  "  last  marks  of  respect  " — 
marshals,  generals,  statesmen,  officials  and  a  con- 
course of  personal  friends  of  all  ranks,  from  the 
highest  to  the  humblest.  Six  years  and  a  half  later 
I  stood  by  the  bier  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  and  in 
1888  I  saw  the  remains  of  the  Emperor  and  his  son 
taken  from  Chislehurst  and  placed  in  the  crypt  of 
St  Michael's  at  Farnborough.  The  Emperor,  the 
Empress  and  the  Prince — all  three  I  had  seen  in 
III 


112     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Paris   before    the    "  Terrible    Year."     The    English 
scenes  I  recorded  in  the  "  Morning  Post." 

On  May  5,  19 15,  the  Empress  Eugenie  was 
eighty-nine.  She  has  now  passed  half  of  her  life 
in  England,  varied  by  her  voyages  and  long  visits 
to  her  French  home  at  Cap  Martin.  It  was  not,  as 
I  have  said,  until  more  than  twenty  years  after  Sedan 
that  the  Government  of  the  Republic  granted  her 
a  permanent  domicile  in  France.  Needless  to  say 
that  she  has  scrupulously  fulfilled  the  obligation 
imposed  upon  her  of  non-participation  in  the  "  mani- 
festations "  which  have  been,  and  until  19 14  were, 
made  in  favour  of  a  restoration  of  the  Imperial  line, 
now,  and  for  many  years,  solely  represented  by 
Prince  Napoleon,  whose  father  was  a  first  cousin 
of  Napoleon  III.  The  Bonapartist  Pretender  is 
a  discreet  man;  talented,  but  not  ebullient.  It  is 
no  secret  that  he  will  be  the  Empress's  principal 
heir.  Of  her  fortune  nothing  whatever  is  known. 
Even  Monsignor  Goddard,  as  he  told  me  shortly 
before  his  death,  had  no  inkling  of  it.  Amusing 
canards  crop  up  at  intervals — e.g.  the  announcement 
of  the  defunct  "  Tribune  "  that  the  Empress  had 
left  all  her  "  immense  wealth  " — stated  to  amount 
to  ;^ 6,000,000  ( !) — to  the  "  Jesuits."  What  is  quite 
likely  is  that  the  Pretender  will  one  day  have  an 
English  home  at  Farnborough  Hill.  That  is  only 
natural. 

The  Empress,  as  I  have  indicated,  has  long  ceased 
to  be  an  "  exile  "  in  any  sense  of  the  word.  She  is 
happy  in  her  Hampshire  home,  with  friends  and 
relatives  coming  periodically  from  France  and  Spain 
to  cheer  her; — sadly  happy  in  the  contemplation 
of  precious  souvenirs  of  the  husband  and  the   son 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      113 

whom  she  has  lost.  All  the  remembrances  of  the 
past  which  surrounded  her  at  "  Camden  "  until  1880 
are  to  be  found  at  Farnborough  Hill. 

Let  us  now  hear  M.  Lucien  Alphonse  Daudet.* 


In  her  cabinet  de  travail  at  Farnborough  Hill  the 
statue  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  by  Carpeaux,  dominates 
everything  else.  Elsewhere  may  be  seen  Cannon's 
posthumous  portrait  of  the  "  little  Prince  ";  Protais 
has  fixed  the  horror  of  the  intrepid  young  hero's 
last  moments  by  the  Blood  River;  and  near  the 
fireplace,  in  a  sort  of  library,  at  the  foot  of  a  large 
photograph  of  "  Napoleon  Quatre,"  there  is  always 
a  wreath  of  roses  or  chrysanthemums,  according  to 
the  season.  The  mother's  thoughts  are  never  absent 
from  her  son ;  he  smiles  upon  her  wherever  she  may 
be.  In  the  great  gallery  which  leads  to  so  many 
rooms — the  salon  d'honneur,  the  salon  des  princesses, 
the  salon  des  dames  and  the  salon  de  Greuze — are 
visible  some  of  Winterhalter's  triumphs :  the 
Empress,  seated,  in  red  velvet,  holding  the  infant 
Prince,  in  his  white  robe,  brightened  by  the  Grand 
Ordre  Imperial :  the  Empress  again,  curiously  coiffee, 
the  profile  hardly  distinguishable,  yet,  on  dit,  her 
Majesty's  favourite  portrait  of  herself.  Here  also 
may  be  seen  and  admired  the  same  painter's  portraits 
of  those  two  beautiful  women,  the  Duchesse  d'Albe 
(the  Empress's  sister)  and  the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy, 

*  Summarised,  by  the  author's  permission,  from  M.  Daudet's 
remarkable  work,  "L'Imperatrice  Eugenie."  Paris:  Arthur 
Fayard. 


114     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

nee  Princesse  Murat,  whom  we  must  still  venture 
to  place  quite  in  the  forefront  of  the  Empress's 
greatest  friends,  in  which  category  was  the  regretted 
Madame  de  Arcos.  There  are  other  portraits  of 
the  Prince  by  Winterhalter  and  D'Yvon;  a  masterly 
fragment,  by  Lefevre,  showing  the  passing  of  the 
child  from  infancy  to  adolescence;  and  all  the 
members  of  the  "  Great  "  Emperor's  family  live, 
at  Farnborough  Hill,  on  the  canvases  of  Gerard, 
Ri^sener  and  Lefevre.  At  the  entrance  the 
"  official  "  bust  of  Napoleon  I.  faces  that  of 
Napoleon  HI. 

If  we  would  fathom  as  nearly  as  possible  the 
nuances  of  her  complex  nature,  we  must  not  regard 
the  Empress  as  the  heroine  of  beauty  of  the  Second 
Empire,  with  golden  ringlets,  blue  eyes  and  her 
proverbial  charm;  we  must  revert  to  her  instinct,  so 
slightly  feminine,  perpetually  battling  with  her 
womanly  character,  her  womanly  esprit,  her  womanly 
heart,  dominating  them  or  being  dominated  by  them 
according  to  circumstances,  but  always  influencing 
and  generally  conquering  them. 

When  the  first  intoxication  of  happiness  had  passed 
from  the  life  of  this  young  woman,  eager  for  the  open 
air  and  space,  loving  hunting,  horses,  gallops  across 
country,  all  that  makes  the  cheeks  glow  and  hardens 
the  body;  accustomed,  after  her  sister's  marriage 
to  the  Due  d'Albe,  to  spend  days  of  family  intimacy 
at  the  palace  of  Leiria,  endless  days  of  gossip  about 
everything  and  nothing,  those  Spanish  "  tertulias  " 
which  are  the  sweet  reward  of  affection ; — after  all  this, 
imagine  what  the  brusque  change  meant  to  her  when 
she  came  to  live  in  the  old  chateau  of  the  French  kings, 
uninhabited  since  the  flight  of   Louis   Philippe,  that 


Tmc  Kmi'RKss  Ki(;kmk 

After  the  portrait  hy  U'iitterluiHer 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      115 

chateau  with  its  countless  corridors,  secret  staircases, 
immense  salons  and  state  rooms; — imagine,  above 
all,  the  permanent  cooping-up,  the  lack  of  liberty, 
the  moral  solitude,  aggravated  by  the  presence  of  some 
"  Dame,"  some  ennuyeuse  lady-in-waiting.  If,  at 
that  period,  the  Empress  had  been  unable  to  conjure 
up  the  soul  of  her  childhood  and  of  her  youth;  if 
she  had  not  resigned  herself  to  a  life  unrelieved  by 
any  outward  distractions,  she  would  doubtless  have 
rebelled  against  the  existence  created  for  her  by  her 
new  grandeurs. 

How  deadly  dull  in  their  monotony  are  those  Royal 
journeys  which  must  be  made  throughout  the  year ! 
For  others  every  day  in  our  travels  brings  us  a  new 
sensation;  for  sovereigns  every  journey  is  like  the 
other.  Their  public,  their  official,  life  only  is  subject 
to  variations;  their  private  life  has  scarcely  any 
family  intimacy,  even  in  modern  Courts.  (Queen 
Victoria's  children  had  not  the  right  to  enter  her 
room  without  being  announced.)  "  Happy  as  a 
King !  "  one  of  them  said  one  day  in  my  hearing, 
in  a  weary,  despairing  voice  :  "  A  King  makes  me 
think  of  some  starving  man,  seated  at  a  Gargantuan 
banquet,  who,  at  the  moment  he  is  about  to  satisfy  the 
pangs  of  hunger,  is  told  that  one  of  the  plats — he 
knows  not  which — is  poisoned." 

With  rare  exceptions,  the  Empress,  after  her  daily 
drive,  returned  to  the  Tuileries  before  nightfall. 
Alone,  without  any  "dame,"  or  even  a  "  reader,"  in 
one  of  her  rooms  in  which  she  had  gathered  together 
her  most  cherished  souvenirs  she  made  her  tea,  while 
a  despotic  monkey  awaited  its  usual  cup  of  milk. 

Sometimes,  gazing  from  the  hotel  window  at  the 
town   stretched  along   the   river,   her  memory  takes 


ii6     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

her  back  to  this  same  Paris,  where  the  Emperor,  her 
son  and  she  herself  were  outraged;  she  sees  the  wild 
dances  and  the  perspiring  figures,  and  hears  the 
drunken  songs  one  warm  September  morning,  and 
recalls  those  who  the  day  before  were  her  subjects 
now  become  in  a  few  hours  her  shouting  enemies, 
her  insulters,  ready  to  kill  her.  Then,  without  a 
Word,  she  lowers  the  blind.  She  departs,  without 
sterile  regrets,  but  perhaps  with  a  dolorous  thought, 
"  They  have  never  known." 

The  Empress  can  gaze  upon  these  things  and  these 
places  without  apparent  regret,  because  she  has  been 
able  to  dissociate  them  from  her  personality.  She 
looks  upon  them  again  as  vestiges  of  an  anterior 
existence,  as  in  another  planet,  not  as  traces,  for  ever 
effaced,  of  her  actual  life. 


n 

The  detachment  from  everything  which  belonged 
to  her  made  the  Empress  part  with  Arenenberg  many 
years  ago.  Not  wishing  that,  later.  Queen  Hortense's 
home  should  become  a  sanatorium  or  some  pension 
k  prix  fixes,  the  Empress  selected  some  pieces  of 
furniture  which  recalled  the  quiet  hours  she  had 
passed  in  the  chateau,  ordered  the  remainder  to  be 
converted  into  a  museum,  and  presented  the  family 
residence  to  the  canton  of  Thurgovia,  stipulating 
for  the  establishment  of  a  school  of  arts  and  trades. 
Such  furniture  and  other  objects  retained  by  her 
which  she  thought  would  interest  the  French  she 
sent  as  gifts  to  the  Chateau  of  La  Malmaison,  whose 
distinguished  custodian,  M.  Jean  Aj albert,  gratefully 
received  them. 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      117 

Although,  for  herself,  the  Empress  has  renounced 
everything,  she  is  intransigeante  and  full  of  decision 
immediately  there  is  a  question  of  the  principle 
she  represents.  She  has  consented  to  be  no  longer 
"  Empress,"  but  as  the  widow  of  the  Emperor  she 
is  a  "  Sovereign."  When  she  offered  to  give  her 
estate  of  the  Faro  to  the  town  of  Marseilles,  in 
order  to  transform  it  into  a  hospital,  the  Municipality 
proposed  to  designate  the  gift  as  one  made  by  the 
"  Widow  Bonaparte."  Upon  learning  of  this  inten- 
tion the  Empress  instructed  her  representative 
to  inform  the  Municipality  that  she  would  present 
them  with  the  Faro  on  the  sole  condition  that 
they  recorded  the  gift  as  from  "  S.  M.  I'lmperatrice 
Eugenie,  veuve  de  S.  M.  Napoleon  HI.,  Empereur 
des  Fran^ais."  This  the  Municipality  agreed 
to  do. 

Generous  herself,  she  will  not  accept  the  generosity 
of  others.  She  knows  how  to  pity  better  than  any 
other  woman.  She  heals  wounds,  she  soothes 
troubles ;  but  she  keeps  her  own  wounds  and  troubles 
to  herself.  To  complain  of  them  would  be  a 
horror  to  her.  She  pities  others,  but  to  be  herself 
the  object  of  pity  is  wounding  to  her.  Her  soul 
is  the  veiled  Clarissa  behind  the  iron  bars.  From  day 
to  day  she  becomes  the  superioress  of  an  unknown 
Order,  whose  rule  she  fixes,  following  it  in  all 
its  severity  herself.  From  one  renunciation  after 
another  she  has  discovered  perfect  resignation. 
Such  resignation  one  must  have  who  enters  while 
living  into  the  neant  without  noise,  without 
ostentation,  without  any  of  those  tragedies  which 
still  satisfy  pride,  when  one  has  been  everything 
and  no  longer  wishes  to  be  anything.     This  resigna- 


ii8     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

tion  shows  itself  even  in  petty  details  which,  to 
observant  eyes,  suffice  to  explain  the  inexplicable. 
Excepting  those  things  which  came  to  her  in  the 
years  of  her  power  very  few  of  her  personal  objects 
are  marked  with  her  monogram  or  engraved  with 
her  crown.  Looking  at  the  door  of  her  automobile 
or  at  one  of  her  travelling  bags  one  would  think  that 
she  wishes  to  be  forgotten  by  herself  even  more 
than  by  others.  This  renunciation  is  due  to  self- 
control,  and  she  often  declares  that  not  to  possess 
it  would  be  a  proof  of  madness.  This  astonishing 
doubling  of  her  personality,  which  permits  her  to 
see  with  apparent  indifference  the  adornments  of 
her  past  amazes  many  people  :  there  are  nobilities 
of  the  soul  difficult  to  imagine.  "  How,"  it  is 
sometimes  asked,  "  can  the  Empress  bear  to  look, 
from  a  window  of  her  hotel,  upon  Paris  and  the 
garden  in  which  not  a  vestige  of  her  burned  palace 
exists  ?  Where  does  she  get  the  strength  to  enable  her 
to  stroll  among  the  geraniums  and  the  dahlias 
which  cover  the  stones  of  St  Cloud,  and  to  re-visit 
Compiegne,  where  what  was  her  bedroom  is  now 
a  banal  museum,  shown  to  the  public  by  a  guide  ? " 

The  Empress  can  return  to  these  things  and  these 
places  without  apparent  pain  because  she  has  been 
able  to  dissociate  them  from  her  personality  past 
and  present.  She  regards  them  as  vestiges  of  an 
anterior  life,  in  another  planet,  not  like  the  traces, 
effaced  for  ever,  of  her  actual  life. 

She  seldom  gesticulates.  When  she  is  speaking, 
and  especially  when  she  is  questioning  a  person, 
she  often  crosses  her  arms.  Should  she  be  particularly 
interested  when  listening  she  will  lean  slightly 
forward    and    place    her    joined    hands    behind   her 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      119 

back.  Her  face  reveals  the  interest  she  takes,  or 
does  not  take,  in  what  she  is  being  told.  She 
seems  to  anticipate  what  is  coming  next.  If  she 
is  being  bored  by  banalities  her  indifference  displays 
itself  rather  amusingly :  she  plays  with  her  six  gold 
rings,  examines  them  attentively,  takes  them  off,  then 
puts  them  on  again;  ejaculating  at  intervals  a  vague 
distrait,  distant  "  Ah !  "  And  her  voice,  rather 
broken,  rises  in  tones  breves  et  chantantes  comme 
celles  d'un  harmonica. 

The  Empress  has  a  horror,  a  terror  rather,  of 
what  she  calls  "  les  scenes."  She  has  witnessed 
the  flow  of  so  many  tears  of  devotion,  and  has 
so  often  raised  from  their  genuflexions  those  who 
have  prostrated  themselves  at  her  feet  only  to  strike 
her  more  surely,  that  she  knows  their  real  value. 
Her  ears  are  always  ringing  with  the  oath  of  a 
Trochu,  "  on  the  honour  of  a  Breton,  a  Catholic 
and  a  soldier,"  swearing  to  serve  her  until  death. 
A  few  minutes  sufficed  for  him  to  perjure  himself. 
And  there  were  others,  less  vile  perhaps,  but  scarcely 
braver.  Tears  often  have  the  effect  upon  her  of 
a  comedy,  an  easy  means  of  touching  and  saddening 
her.  That  she  has  confidence  in  individuals  is 
certain,  but  she  knows  better  than  anyone  to  what 
point  human  nature  can  be  weak  and  cowardly. 
She  does  not  say  so  openly  because  she  does  not  wish 
to  deprive  those  surrounding  her  of  their  courage 
and  happiness. 

The  Empress's  one  and  only  enemy  is  cowardice. 
Her  tone  becomes  grave,  almost  violent,  when  she 
speaks  of  it  and  of  those  who  obey  its  dictates. 
"  Le  lache !  Les  laches !  "  It  is  not  when  she 
is    personally    concerned    that    the    Empress   suffers 


I20     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

and  revolts  :  she  would  have  too  much  to  do.  She 
has  suffered  all  the  cowardices,  all  the  injustices, 
from  the  great  ones  recorded  in  history  down  to 
the  little  ones  which  are  ignored,  those  [dating  from 
forty-five  years  ago. 

She  has  been  often  treated  as  if  she  no  longer 
belonged  to  this  world.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
Empress  hates  cowards  and  cowardice.  That, 
however,  is  not  exact.  It  can  be  safely  said  that 
the  time  has  come  when  she  hates  nothing  and  no  one. 
She  has  pardoned;  in  that  she  has  done  well,  even 
if  in  according  her  pardon  her  instinct  was  stronger 
than  her  will.  But  she  has  still  the  plus  beau 
role,  for  her  first  enemies,  the  real  ones,  those  who 
were  most  furious  against  her  and  hers,  are  all 
Head,  and  she  has  survived  them.  The  duration 
of  her  life  is  a  kind  of  triumph.  Despite  her 
virile  soul,  however,  she  is  a  woman,  and  sometimes 
her  nerves  dominate  her  nature.  Despite  her 
renunciation  and  her  mask  of  indifference,  and  almost 
of  serenity,  she  has  been  seen  to  weep  when  reading 
something  written  against  her.  It  is  not  anger  which 
has  caused  these  tears;  calumnies  mean  very  little 
to  her;  she  weeps  because  of  her  powerlessness. 
How  can  she  expect  that  certain  lies  that  some 
have  not  hesitated  to  tell  about  her  can  be  easily  denied 
by  a  mere  word  ?  How  could  she  prove  the  truth, 
when  she  has  sworn  to  remain  silent  for  ever,  that  she 
has  not  written  any  memoirs,  that  she  will  never 
write  any,  that  she  will  never  utter  a  word,  never  put 
on  paper  a  word  capable  of  confounding  or  of 
compromising  her  accusers?  She  would  not  over- 
whelm the  dead,  and  her  dignity  prevents  her  from 
raising   polemics   around   her   name.     Eternity   con- 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      121 

tains  a  sufficient  future  to  judge  her  and  to  avenge 
her  sooner  or  later. 


m 

Sometimes  her  habitual  smile  changes  into  a  little 
tragic  laugh,  expressing  all  she  has  seen,  the  unhappi- 
ness  caused  her  by  Destiny  and  that  which  men 
have  tried  to  bring  about.  Despite  the  dazzle  and 
warmth  of  the  South  and  her  cruises  in  the  Thistle 
in  quest  of  the  deepest  sea,  the  Empress's  real 
existence  is  in  England  amidst  the  green  fields, 
for  she  recognises  in  it  the  only  country  in  which 
throneless  sovereigns  can  live  with  dignity.  Pro- 
foundly feminine  is  that  objectless  nervousness  which 
on  some  days  takes  possession  of  her,  agitates  her, 
makes  her  feverish  and  impels  her  to  take  an  unusually 
long  auto  drive,  during  which  she  exhausts  herself  as 
much  as  possible,  seeking  in  bodily  fatigue  repose 
for  her  perturbed  soul.  She  talks,  becomes  animated, 
even  laughs.  Suddenly,  without  transition,  without 
any  apparent  reason,  wherever  she  may  happen 
to  be,  in  a  carriage  or  in  the  train,  she  begins 
a  story  of  some  moment  when  she  has  been  unhappiest. 
Her  complaint  is  hastily  suppressed;  a  little 
gesture  chases  away  the  vision  which  she  has  seen. 
The  Scottish  mists  have  made  her  susceptible  to 
the  most  inexplicable  supernatural  fancies,  in  which 
she  is  so  deeply  interested.  Those  who  do  not 
know  her  regard  the  Empress,  being  Spanish,  as 
a  fanatic.  Others  represent  her  as  being  surrounded 
by  "  chaplains  "  (fantastical  reminiscences  of  old 
comic  operas)  and  living  in  the  midst  of  the  practices 
of    a    religion    at    once    narrow    and    superstitious. 


122     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

But  those  who  can  speak  of  her  with  knowledge  assert 
that  no  one  has  broader  religious  views  than  the 
Empress.  She  does  not  impose  her  ideal  upon 
anyone,  but,  as  in  all  other  matters,  leaves  all  to 
do  as  they  like  and  believe  what  they  like.  Modera- 
tion is  one  of  the  aspects  of  her  soul.  She  never 
asks  if  you  have  read  Baruch.  One  proof  of  this 
will  suffice.  Two  or  three  years  ago  she  authorised 
one  of  her  intimate  friends  to  collaborate  in  a  news- 
paper not  at  all  suspected  of  ultramontane  opinions : 
such  is  her  great  respect  for  the  liberty  of  all. 
Pious  she  certainly  is,  but  she  is  not  a  "  devote,"  nor 
does  she  ever  talk  about  her  religion. 

It  is  her  incessant  craving  for  activity  rather 
than  a  vague  nostalgic  love  for  unknown  countries 
that  led  her  every  year  to  embark  on  her  yacht  or 
on  a  steamer.  She  is  never  under  an  illusion  of 
happiness  except  when  she  feels  herself  free  under 
the  sky  and  a  prisoner  at  sea,  the  roughness  of  which 
never  has  any  effect  upon  her.  There  is  no  part 
of  the  Mediterranean  with  which  her  travelling  humour 
has  not  made  her  acquainted  :  the  coasts  of  Italy, 
Greece,  Africa  an'd  Asia  Minor — she  knows  them 
all;  she  was  always  wanting  to  go  farther  and  still 
farther,  so  insatiable  was  her  demand  for  space  and 
especially  for  movement.  The  two  countries  of 
which  she  has  the  most  haunting  memories,  and 
about  which  she  talks  oftenest,  are  Egypt  (to  which 
she  returned  between  seven  and  eight  years  ago, 
for  the  first  time  since  1869,  when  she  inaugurated  the 
opening  of  the  Suez  Canal — only  eight  months 
before  the  great  war)  and  the  Indies,  of  which 
she  has  seen  only  the  fringe,  and  hopes  to  visit  them 
some  day ! 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      123 

When  she  is  not  on  her  travels  she  cannot  live 
unoccupied.  She  would  not  be  a  Sovereign  if  she 
were  not  much  given  to  building.  She  amuses 
herself  by  constructing  here  and  there,  by  trans- 
forming what  she  considers  incomplete  in  one  or 
other  of  her  homes.  If  she  did  not  assiduously  watch 
the  building  works  which  she  orders  to  be  carried  out 
they  would  not  interest  her.  Nothing  is  left  to 
chance.  She  occupies  herself  with  everything,  even 
the  slightest  details,  and  attaches  as  much  importance 
to  the  harmony  of  a  building  as  to  the  shape  of  a 
door,  the  exact  place  for  a  piece  of  furniture,  the 
colour  of  a "  carpet.  When  a  new  idea  occurs  to 
her  it  must  be  executed  immediately.  She  explains 
and  discusses  everything,  is  eager  to  see  the  work 
begun,  asks  the  advice  of  this  one  and  that  one, 
remains  standing  for  hours  together,  is  untiring,  holds 
out  against  fatigue  longer  than  anyone,  and  will 
not  leave  the  place  until  she  is  satisfied  with  what  is 
being  done. 

Sometimes  the  idea  occurs  to  her  to  open  up  a  new 
view  in  the  park,  and  she  orders  trees  to  be  felled  and 
others  to  be  stripped  of  their  branches.  In  the 
morning  she  strolls  into  the  woods  to  note  the  change 
of  scene,  either  approving  with  a  smile  what  has 
been  done,  or  indicating  with  her  cane  an  alteration. 
If  the  weather  keeps  her  indoors  she  arranges  her 
papers,  classifying  them  methodically,  or  looks  over 
the  well-stocked  library  with  the  intention  of  getting 
the  books  catalogued.  Here  she  allows  someone 
to  help  her,  but  works  continually  herself,  for 
exercise,  no  matter  of  what  kind,  is  indispensable. 

Farnborough  Hill  now  has  its  Napoleonic  museum, 
one    of    the    Empress's    latest    achievements.      She 


124     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

watched  over  its  formation  with  meticulous  care, 
the  late  M.  Pietri  aiding  in  the  work.  M.  Pietri 
saw  everything,  but  said  little.  The  museum  stands 
behind  the  trees,  and  is  covered  with  ivy.  It  is 
lighted  from  the  top.  An  aromatic  odour  floats 
in  the  warm  air  of  this  large  salle,  which  is  not  only 
a  museum  of  sovereigns,  but  a  museum  of  souvenirs. 
Here  are  collected  all  the  precious  objects  which 
have  come  to  the  Empress  through  the  Bonaparte 
family.  In  the  middle  of  a  panel  are  seen  the 
legendary  uniform  of  the  grenadiers  of  the  Guard, 
the  grey  overcoat  and  the  little  hat,  a  black  mantle 
and  the  high  boots.  Close  by  are  two  masks  with 
closed  eyes :  one  of  the  father  who  died  at  St 
Helena,  the  other  of  the  son  (Napoleon  II.)  who 
died  at  Schonbrunn.  One  mask  is  emaciated;  that 
of  the  King  of  Rome  recalls  the  lineaments  of 
King  Alfonso  XIII.  The  objects  here  grouped 
have  not  suffered  at  the  hand  of  Time;  all  are  in 
perfect  condition.  The  visitor  sees  the  pearl  sword, 
the  neo- Greek  table  services,  the  large  wash-hand 
basin  which  Napoleon  I.  took  with  him  through 
his  campaigns;  the  purple  collar  sprinkled  with 
bees  (resembling  somewhat  the  black  mantle  of  the 
Saint- Esprit),  and  the  white  robe  with  the  long 
wheat  ears  in  tarnished  gilt  worn  by  the  Empress 
Josephine  when  she  sat  to  Lefevre  for  her  portrait; 
Josephine's  court  mantles  in  sapphire  violet,  her  gauze 
robe  and  the  lace  made  for  her. 

Having  completed  this  section  of  the  museum  the 
Empress,  no  longer  head  of  the  family,  but  still 
widowed  wife  and  mother,  arranged  with  pious  care 
all  that  which  for  France  is  already  historic,  but 
which  for  herself  represents  the  grandeurs  and  the 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      125 

sorrows  of  her  life.  She  has  had  the  self-possession 
to  treat  as  majestic  relics  all  the  objects  which  are 
dearer  to  her  than  those  belonging  to  herself,  for 
they  were  those  of  the  Emperor  and  the  Prince 
Imperial.  In  their  glass  cases  are  the  uniforms  of 
Napoleon  III.,  his  general's  hat,  his  caps  (these 
recalling  Yvon's  portrait  of  the  Emperor),  his  state 
saddle  with  its  chased  holsters  and  eagles.  In 
the  centre  of  the  salle,  almost  hidden  by  the  grey 
cloths  which  preserve  them,  are  the  gala  and  demi- 
gala  carriages,  the  white  satin  of  which  is  faded 
and  the  varnish  peeling  off,  the  sumptuous  hammer- 
cloths  and  the  heraldic  bearings.  Ranged  apart 
from  all  these  are  Pieri's  pistol  and  the  dagger 
of  the  Opera  Comique  conspiracy. 

In  the  museum  chapel  are  saddening  and  tragic 
ex-votos.  First  among  these  is  to  be  noted  the  cradle 
— not  the  "  official  "  one,  orfevre  by  Froment- 
Maurice,  given  by  the  city  of  Paris  when  the  Prince 
Imperial  was  born,  and  presented  in  later  years 
by  the  Empress  to  the  Carnavalet  Museum.  No, 
this  is  a  baby's  simple  cradle.  There  are  the  infant's 
blue  and  white  shoes  and  his  robes,  among  them 
the  tartan  of  a  little  Scotsman ;  and  we  see  the  boy's 
first  real  dress,  the  dark  green  habit  de  chasse  and 
the  gold-laced  hat,  the  "  lampion."  Nothing  is 
sadder  than  the  sous-lieutenant's  uniform  which 
the  Prince  wore  when  he  left  for  the  war  at  the  end 
of  July,  1870.  By  the  side  of  it  is  a  black  book, 
with  these  words  written  on  the  first  page  in  ink  now 
discoloured  :  "  Chaque  fois  que  tu  le  liras  ce  sera  une 
pensee  pour  ta  mere." 

Here,  too,  are  the  English  uniforms  worn  by  the 
Prince    at    Woolwich    and    later,    until    he    left    for 


126     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Zululand.  Among  these  various  uniforms  is  the 
conscription  number  drawn  in  Paris  on  behalf  of 
the  Prince  when  he  came  of  age  and  was  registered 
by  the  military  authorities  as  a  "  citizen  "  liable  to 
serve  with  the  colours !  There  are  also  his  two 
French  military  dolmans,  quite  new  and  of  course 
never  worn. 

In  a  large  ebony  armoire  is  a  portrait  of  the  Prince. 
We  will  draw  a  veil  over  what  is  behind  its  closed 
doors. 

In  all  circumstances  the  Empress's  vitality  shows 
itself.  Every  night  she  retires  at  the  same  hour, 
no  matter  where  she  is.  She  follows  her  programme 
for  resisting  old  age.  Even  when  she  has  a  cold,  or 
feels  languid,  she  insists  upon  going  out,  even  in 
cold  or  foggy  weather,  despite  the  advice,  even  the 
prayers,  of  those  around  her.*  Sometimes,  after  a 
sleepless  night,  she  has  gone  out  and  walked  for 
a  couple  of  hours,  and  she  has  been  seen  in  an  open 
carriage  when  rain  was  falling.  She  trusts  in  the 
open  air  as  the  best  preservative  of  her  health. 
It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  dissuade  her  from  committing 
these  imprudences.  Yet  that  body  which  she  some- 
times treats  so  severely  clings  to  life,  loves  life, 
loves  the  warmth  of  a  summer  day  and  the  gleam  of 
sunshine  which  falls  upon  the  waves. 

*  In  January,  1913,  however,  as  detailed  later,  when  she  had 
a  bad  cold,  her  doctor  insisted  upon  her  remaining  in  the 
house  for  several  days,  and  she  was  thus  prevented  from 
attending  the  annual  service  for  the  Emperor  on  the  9th. 
And  in  191 4  she  left  for  Paris  before  January  9. — E.L. 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      127 

IV 

Every  post  brings  to  Farnborough  Hill  and  to 
Villa  Cyrnos  an  avalanche  of  appeals  for  assistance, 
begging  letters.  It  is  the  sole  work  of  one  person 
to  examine  this  correspondence  before  submitting 
it  to  the  Empress,  who  herself  verifies  the  accuracy 
of  the  statements.  These  letters  come  from  all 
parts  of  the  world.  Some  are  written  by  naifs  who 
have  taken  seriously  the  absurd  and  untruthful 
statements  which  they  have  read  in  the  newspapers 
concerning  some  imaginary  scheme  or  other  said 
to  be  contemplated  by  the  Empress.  Among  the 
appeals  there  is  occasionally  one  requesting  the  "  Em- 
press of  the  French  "  to  procure  the  applicant  a  bureau 
de  tabac !  There  are,  it  seems,  after  forty-five  years, 
people  who  believe  the  Imperial  lady  can  grant 
them  a  Governmental  favour,  as  if  she  were  still 
powerful.  But  what  shall  be  said  of  the  "  shameful 
rich  "  who  appeal  to  the  Empress? 

Like  all  generous  people,  the  Empress  knows 
the  value  of  money.  She  loathes  useless  squander- 
ings, money  spent  without  anyone  being  the  better 
for  it.  While  she  conceals  her  liberal  almsgiving, 
she  often  secretly  meditates  over  the  satisfaction 
or  pleasure  which  she  has  given  to  one  person 
or  another. 

In  her  home,  from  morning  till  night,  she  shows 
in  a  hundred  ways  her  consideration  for  others. 
If  a  person  accompanies  her  on  her  walks  the  Empress 
will  not  allow  him  or  her  to  carry  her  cloak  or  her 
sunshade.  Over-zealous  people  irritate  her.  Some- 
times she  has  hurriedly  left  the  tea-table  when 
she  smilingly  remembered  that  in  the  morning  one 


128     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

of  the  guests  had  remarked  that  it  was  very  trying 
to  remain  in  the  house  for  a  whole  hour  without 
smoking.  She  objects  to  people  speaking  in  her 
presence  of  the  "  domestics,"  and  prefers  the  phrase 
the  "  serviteurs."  In  less  famous  houses  such  con- 
sideration for  our  "  inferiors  "  is  not  invariably 
shown.  The  Imperial  servants  at  Farnborough  Hill 
and  at  Villa  Cyrnos  have  an  existence  of  their 
own.  The  Empress  will  not  allow  them  to  be  regarded 
as  machines,  which  are  stopped  directly  their  work  is 
finished. 

If  someone  speaks  ill-naturedly  of  an  absent 
person  the  Empress  will  often  pretend  not  to  have 
heard  what  was  said,  and  her  silence,  which  turns 
the  conversation  into  another  channel,  prevents 
any  further  captious  remarks.  She  displays  great 
tact  in  preventing  jealousy  among  her  entourage. 
Thus  there  are  never  found  in  her  circle  those  hatreds, 
rivalries,  mediocre  conflicts  and  lamentable  intrigues 
which  are  sometimes  observable  alike  in  great  and 
small  courts. 

It  is  quite  exceptional  for  her  to  be  angry  with 
anyone.  She  generalises,  or  proceeds  by  allusions, 
not  mentioning  names.  Her  gratitude  is  less  con- 
cealed. "  Dates  "  are  her  aversion.  She  flies  from 
anniversaries  and  does  not  like  them  recalled.  You 
will  earn  her  thanks  by  forgetting  them  all — even 
the  day  of  her  fete.  But  needless  to  say  she 
remembers  the  9th  of  January  and  the  ist  of  June — 
the  death-days  of  her  husband  and  her  son. 

The  Empress  heartily  despises  locks  of  hair, 
whether  intact  or  encased  in  jewellery;  teeth  mounted 
in  rings;  old  gloves,  faded  and  mouldering  in  a 
box;    ashes    of   the    dead    heaped    together    at    the 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      129 

bottom  of  a  dusty  urn,  idolatrie  macabre,  which 
weakens  our  memory  of  the  dead  by  venerating 
their  remains.  Those  who  know  her  best  credit 
the  Empress  with  the  most  beautiful  of  all  human 
endowments,  nobility  of  heart. 

One  morning,  as  she  was  arranging  her  papers 
and  cutting  out  extracts  from  them,  she  came  across 
an  old  newspaper  article  so  infamous,  so  odious, 
that  her  hand  trembled  and  the  point  of  her  scissors 
made  one  of  her  fingers  bleed.  I  remember  that 
drop  of  blood. 

Every  description  of  literature  interests  the  Em- 
press, who  reads  most  books  that  she  considers 
important.  She  prefers  novels  to  poetry,  and  likes 
best  those  of  Anatole  France  and  Pierre  Loti. 
She  has  been  heard  to  say  that  the  first-mentioned 
writes  "  le  plus  beau  fran^ais."  Of  late  years  she 
has  given  most  attention  to  memoirs  and  historical 
works.  For  the  latter  she  always  had  a  craving, 
believing  that  from  them  she  could  best  learn  her 
regal  duties.  In  her  library  are  the  works  of  Albert 
Vandal,  Henri  Houssaye,  Frederic  Masson,  Comte 
d'Haussonville,  Gabriel  Hanotaux  and  Pierre  Nolhac, 
to  mention  only  a  select  few. 

Scattered  about  her  cabinet  de  travail  are  several 
small  tables,  on  which  may  be  seen  books  on 
philosophy,  science  and  medicine.  Schopenhauer  is 
not  one  of  her  favourites.  All  scientific  works, 
especially  those  on  medicine,  arouse  her  curiosity. 
She  regularly  follows  the  progress  of  therapeutics 
in  the  medical  reviews,  and  discusses  them  with 
those  doctors  whom  from  time  to  time  she  meets. 
She  wants  to  know  the  why  and  wherefore  of  all  these 
matters. 


130    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

In  general  literature  she  does  not  shirk  the  perusal 
of  books  which  are  not  particularly  laudatory  of  her, 
or  of  those  whose  mediocrity  would  make  less  patient 
readers  shun  them.  If  she  can  find  in  any  volume 
something,  however  trivial,  of  which  she  was  previously 
ignorant,  she  is  satisfied.  She  not  only  reads  books, 
but  studies  them. 

The  supernatural,  which  sometimes  claims  her 
attention  to  a  certain  extent,  never  really  occupies  her 
mind.  In  history,  as  in  actual  life,  she  looks  only 
for  certainties  and  light.  Hypotheses  and  mysteries, 
so  far  from  taking  her  imagination  captive,  jdo  not 
even  amuse  her.  All  that  has  been  written  about 
the  Man  in  the  Iron  Mask,  the  poisoning  of 
"  Madame,"  sister-in-law  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  the 
death  of  the  Empress  Josephine,  all  the  riddles 
propounded  by  a  Sphinx,  ignorant  of  an  CEdipus, 
irritate  her.  Even  "  the  Louis  XVII.  question," 
into  which,  despite  her  protests,  attempts  were  made 
to  draw  her,  and  the  pretended  escape  of  the  Dauphin 
— "  secrets  "  too  well  preserved  for  a  century — 
occupy  her  mind  only  momentarily  and  have  the 
effect  of  making  her  rise  superior  to  the  absurdity 
of  such  suppositions. 

In  the  domain  of  history,  in  which  she  finds  proofs 
that  many  revolutions  were  similar  to  preceding 
ones,  there  is  a  figure  which  always  haunts  her — 
Marie  Antoinette.  Books  upon  that  Queen,  especially 
those  of  M.  Le  Notre,  invariably  and  permanently 
move  the  Empress.  Many  have  discerned  in  some 
of  the  portraits  of  the  Queen  a  resemblance  to  the 
Empress. 

Her  lively  imagination  makes  her  fancy  that 
she  herself  has  witnessed  the  scenes  which   she  has 


ThK    KMI'KESS    lilUlKMK    IN    THE    CKC^LNDS   OK 

iiKR  viLi.A  AT  Cap  Martin 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      131 

either  read  in  books  or  which  have  been  related 
to  her.  This  imaginative  faculty  is  the  most  pessi- 
mistic part  of  her  mind,  and  no  efforts  of  hers  can 
master  it.  She  has  an  extraordinary  memory,  which 
never  fails  her,  for  events  and  dates.  What  a  host 
of  memories  she  can  evoke  in  an  hour !  How  many 
figures  she  can  summon  before  her !  She  sees 
Rachel  on  the  stage  threatening  Ristori;  the 
Empress  of  Austria  walking  in  the  moonlight  along  one 
of  the  paths  at  Cap  Martin  and  saying :  "  Je 
voudrais  mourir  d'un  tout  petit  coup  au  cceur  par 
ou  s'envolerait  mon  ame."  Unlike  most  women 
of  her  age,  the  Empress  does  not  shrink  from 
recalling  the  past. 

K 

Her  eloquence  is  surprising.  She  can  move  her 
hearers  to  tears  one  moment  and  make  them  laugh  the 
next.  Her  voice  changes  from  a  murmur  to  a  loud 
outburst  with  a  rapidity  rather  startling  to  those 
who  do  not  know  her  well.  Sometimes  she  thinks 
aloud  and  then  any  auditor  suflSces,  no  matter  whom. 
It  is  in  her  conversation,  in  her  facility  for  spreading 
herself  over  a  topic,  that  her  southern  origin  is 
seen.  Although  pretending  to  dislike  being  deafened 
by  words,  on  the  ground  that  she  cannot  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment  find  an  appropriate  reply  to  what 
someone  has  said,  she  is  really  as  willing  to  listen  as 
to  speak. 

Her  "  esprit  " — in  the  highest  and  most  amusing 
sense  of  the  word — is  made  up  of  a  combination  of 
rapid  comprehension  and  a  remarkable  faculty  of 
observation,   which,   did   her   dignity   permit,   would 


132     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

enable  her  to  display  her  great  power  of  imitation. 
Thus  she  does  not  appear  to  belong  to  a  past  age. 
Thanks  to  her  natural  quickness  of  perception  she 
can  be  drawn  into  a  gaiety  which  gives  her  voice  a 
youthful  sound  while  it  lights  up  her  features. 
Those  who  have  sometimes  found  trifling  mis- 
spellings of  words  in  her  letters  seem  to  have 
forgotten  that  in  her  youthful  days  orthography  was 
not  the  strong  point  at  the  primary  school.  We  may 
wish  that  her  critics  were  endowed  with  her  personal 
style,  her  concise  phrases,  her  legible  handwriting, 
which,  although  she  entered  upon  her  ninetieth  year 
on  the  5th  of  May,  19 15,  is  almost  as  firm  as  ever. 

It  was  with  no  banal  royal  condescension,  no 
desire  to  seek  a  topic  for  conversation,  that  she  ques- 
tioned poor  Cody  concerning  aerial  navigation,  that 
she  seeks  from  some  savant  or  other  an  explanation 
of,  let  us  say,  wireless  telegraphy,  or  from  an 
engineer  information  about  an  electrical  battery; 
her  only  object  is  to  get  an  accurate  knowledge  of 
these  mysteries.  Similarly  she  will  question  people 
respecting  a  person  whom  she  does  not  know  or 
an  interesting  sight  which  everybody  is  talking  about 
and  which  she  will  never  see.  Thus,  despite  her 
age  and  her  retired  life,  the  Empress  is  au  courant 
of  everything,  and  is  better  informed  than  most 
people  of  the  progress  of  science  and  of  the  war. 

She  keeps  her  disillusions  and  her  anger  to  herself, 
so  that  it  is  difficult  for  those  ignorant  of  the  nuances 
of  her  physiognomy  to  know  whether  she  is  pleased 
or  displeased,  whether  she  approves  or  disapproves 
of  what  she  hears  or  sees.  Her  disapproval  is 
expressed  only  by  silence  and  utter  indifference. 
If  someone  has  offended  her  she  will  not  utter  a  word. 


PSYCHOLOGY  OF  THE  EMPRESS      133 

The  unfortunate  person  is  suppressed  by  a  look; 
she  seems  not  to  see  the  offender,  who  gathers 
the  impression  that  he  or  she  has  become  invisible, 
or  no  longer  exists !  But  her  anger  is  soon  over : 
it  vanishes  at  the  utterance  of  a  word  or  two  at  the 
right  moment. 

A  longer  period  of  disfavour  results  when  several 
little  annoyances  are  repeated  and  have  wounded 
the  Empress.  But  this  is  quite  exceptional  and 
when  it  happens  it  is  not  her  fault.  Deceptive  and 
fantastic  natures,  agreeable  but  dangerous,  stupefy 
her.  Despite  her  moral  solitude  and  her  restricted 
entourage  she  is  very  sociable.  Everybody  plays 
a  part  in  her  thoughts.  With  all  her  strength  she 
combats  misanthropy.  She  will  not  allow  anyone 
to  lead  the  life  of  a  savage.  She  holds  rather 
that  one  must  take  the  opinion  of  the  world  into 
account.  She  likes  to  be  surrounded  by  people 
and  to  be  in  the  movement.  Life  being  more  ardent 
in  the  young  than  in  the  old  she  has  a  preference  for 
the  former,  proof  of  which  is  to  be  found  in  the 
simple  aspect  of  those  who  gather  round  her  at 
Farnborough  Hill  and,  before  the  war,  at  Cap 
Martin. 

Many  "  Majesties  "  must  be  imagined  with  a 
crown  on  their  head  and  a  sceptre  in  hand  in  order 
to  realise  their  prestige.  The  Empress  can  easily 
do  without  these  emblems.  Her  empire  is  with  her 
wherever  she  may  be.  Like  those  favoured  ecclesias- 
tics who  have  their  "personal  Oratory"  and  can 
celebrate  service  wherever  they  please,  the  Empress 
transforms  into  a  court  the  perfumed  alleys  of  Villa 
Cyrnos,  the  sinuous  green  paths  of  the  park  at 
Farnborough  Hill,  the  bridge  of  a  yacht,  even  the 


134     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

salon  of  an  hotel,  not  so  much  by  a  complicated 
protocol  as  by  the  pathetic  'dignity  which  radiates 
from  her.  After  forty-five  years  she  remains  a 
"  Majesty,"  because  the  majesty  of  her  person 
places  such  a  distance  between  her  and  others  that 
no  one  forgets  it  for  a  moment.  The  only  time 
during  the  day  that  she  performs  a  real  act  of 
sovereignty  is  when  she  says  good-night  to  those 
around  her.  With  one  inclination  of  the  head  she 
acknowledges  the  profound  salutation  of  all,  and  with 
this  simple  movement,  rapid  and  marvellously  effective, 
she  gives  to  each  person  with  a  different  nuance 
a  ceremonious  smile  or  a  more  familiar  glance, 
precious  as  a  baise-main.  By  the  time  people  have 
looked  up  the  Empress  has  vanished.  In  the  distance 
they  see  her  going  up  the  stairs.  An  imperceptible 
trace  of  iris  floats  in  the  air.     The  lights  are  put  out. 

LuciEN  Alphonse  Daudet. 


CHAPTER  XII 

A  FRENCH  LADY'S  "  APPRECIATION  " 

I  SHOULD  like  to  print  here  Madame  Henriette 
L'Huillier's  extremely  interesting  essay  (in  large  part 
areviewofmy"The  Empress  Eugenie:  1870 — 1910"), 
which  appeared  in  the  "  Mount  Angel  Magazine," 
published  in  Oregon  by  the  Benedictine  Fathers : 

While  looking  over  some  books  on  history  at  the 
Portland  Public  Library,  U.S.A.  (historical  research 
has  always  been  a  hobby  of  mine),  I  happened  to  dis- 
cover a  remarkable  work  on  the  Empress  Eugenie,  by 
Edward  Legge.  Nothing  could  arouse  my  interest 
to  a  higher  degree,  as  the  Empress  is  intimately 
associated  with  some  of  my  childhood's  reminiscences. 

On  a  clear  cold  day  in  January,  1853,  I  saw  her 
triumphal  progress  from  the  Tuileries  to  the  ancient 
Notre  Dame  Cathedral,  where  the  great  bells  an- 
nounced her  wedding  to  Napoleon  III.  in  thunderous 
accents.  Again,  three  years  later,  I  listened  to  the  dull 
roar  of  Mont  Valerien's  cannons,  celebrating  the 
birth  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  the  much  expected 
heir  of  the  dynasty. 

Who  could  help  admiring  her  glorious  beauty, 
her  regal  yet  graceful  and  genial  bearing  as  she 
passed  through  the  streets  of  Paris,  leaving  friendli- 
ness and  love  in  her  wake !  Once  she  visited  a 
poor  district  in  the  city,  to  act  as  godmother  to 
135 


136     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

an  historical  bell.  This  bell  had  been  conquered  at 
the  famous  beleaguered  city  of  Sebastopol,  where 
countless  deeds  of  heroism  had  been  achieved  by  the 
valiant  French  troops. 

How  proud  was  the  worthy  Pere  Blondeau  to  have 
been  successful  in  securing  that  memorial  of  victory 
for  his  humble  church !  How  gratified  was  he  to 
see  his  parish  honoured  by  the  exalted  presence 
of  his  noble  visitors !  Several  dames  d'honneur 
(court  ladies)  of  the  Empress  were  personal  acquaint- 
ances of  mine.  All  were  enthusiastic  admirers  of 
their  brilliant  Sovereign. 

In  1867,  when  so  many  rulers  of  the  world,  as  the 
Sultan  of  Turkey,  the  Tsar  of  Russia,  the  King 
of  Prussia,  with  the  Count  Bismarck,  came  to  visit 
the  brilliant  Paris  Exhibition;  when,  in  honour  of 
such  lordly  guests,  countless  festivals  were  held, 
each  one  of  greater  magnificence,  where  the  Empress 
Eugenie  shone  like  a  matchless  star  in  a  superb 
diadem — who  could  have  augured  the  disasters  of 
that  "  Ann^e  terrible,"  1870? 

Over  forty-five  years  have  come  and  gone.  The 
beautiful  wife  of  Napoleon  III.,  the  happy  mother 
of  the  "  Petit  Prince,"  the  proud  possessor  of  a 
mighty  crown,  has  lost  husband,  son,  empire — lives 
alone  in  a  dream  of  memories.  Her  words  are  a  sad 
but  salutary  reminder  of  the  frailty  of  earthly  goods  : 
"  I  am  left  alone,  the  sole  remnant  of  a  shipwreck; 
which  proves  how  fragile  and  vain  are  the  grandeurs 
of  this  world.  I  cannot  even  die;  and  God,  in  his 
infinite  mercy,  will  give  me  a  hundred  years  of  life." 
England,  so  rigorous  and  merciless  towards  Napoleon 
I.,  was  sympathetic  and  propitious  to  the  Nephew  and 
his  family. 


A  FRENCH  "  APPRECIATION  "        137 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  catastrophe  of  Sedan 
reached  Paris,  a  tremendous  excitement  swayed  that 
city.  The  Empress-Regent  was  advised  to  leave 
France  at  once,  to  avoid  possible  danger  from  the 
rabble's  infuriated  acts.  Her  heart  bleeding  for  the 
sorrows  of  her  adopted  country,  grievously  alarmed 
about  the  fate  of  her  husband  and  son,  she  consented 
to  cross  the  Channel,  in  order  that  her  two  beloved 
ones  might  join  her  in  England,  where  a  turn  of  the 
tide  could  be  awaited.  A  day  came  when  they  found 
themselves  thus  once  more  reunited,  but  with  little 
hope  of  ever  being  restored  to  their  throne  again. 
Upon  their  arrival  in  England,  Queen  Victoria 
extended  a  gracious  and  hearty  welcome  to  them, 
and,  once  more,  they  were  safe  and  sound.  The 
Emperor,  being  passionately  fond  of  his  son,  devoted 
himself  exclusively  to  the  education  of  the  fifteen- 
year-old  prince. 

Camden  Place,  Chislehurst,  was  a  rather  gloomy 
contrast  to  the  gay  and  bright  Tuileries,  but  even 
there  the  Imperial  family  could  have  tasted  the 
joys  of  happiness  had  not  Napoleon's  health  been 
visibly  on  the  decline.  Less  than  two  years  after 
his  return  from  his  captivity  at  Wilhelmshohe,  the 
unfortunate  Emperor  was  laid  to  rest. 

The  body  of  the  great  Napoleon's  nephew  was 
placed  in  a  sumptuous  sarcophagus,  presented  by 
Queen  Victoria,  and  taken  to  St  Mary's  Church,  where 
the  Rev.  Isaac  Goddard  (later  Monsignor  Goddard) 
received  it  with  great  pomp. 

What  words  can  picture  the  dreadful  anguish  of  the 
two  survivors !  Never  since  was  the  august  widow 
seen  without  the  sombre  veil  of  mourning. 

Six   years    later,   in    June,    1879,   the    unfortunate 


138     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Prince  Imperial  died  fighting  for  England  in 
South  Africa,  thus  nobly  paying  his  debt  for  the 
hospitality  his  family  had  found  in  the  British 
kingdom. 

Riddled  by  the  murderous  assegais  of  Zulu 
warriors,  his  mangled  body  was  found  telling  a  tale 
of  desperate  odds.  Far  from  his  native  land,  but 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  the  descendant  of  a  great 
dynasty  perished  in  the  wilderness.  Poor  mother ! 
Her  last  hope  withered,  her  only  comfort  ravished. 
.  .  .  Nothing  but  utter  solitude  and  two  graves,  side 
by  side. 

In  1880  the  Empress  wished  to  purchase  some 
land  adjoining  this  same  church,  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting  thereon  a  mausoleum  in  memory  of  her 
illustrious  dead.  The  property  belonged  to  a 
wealthy  zealous  Protestant  merchant.  He  refused 
point  blank  to  sell  any  part  of  it  for  the  purpose  of 
enlarging  St  Mary's  Church,  or  for  the  use  of  any 
other  Catholic  institution.  This  finally  induced  the 
Empress  to  leave  Chislehurst.  The  estate  of  Farn- 
borough  happening  to  be  in  the  market  at  that  time, 
she  bought  the  same  and  moved  there  on  September  30, 
1880.  It  embraces  about  three  hundred  acres. 
The  mansion  is  a  striking  example  of  Early  English 
architecture.  A  sixty-eight-acre  park,  shaded  by 
many  ancient  trees,  surrounds  the  impressive  manor. 
As  a  whole,  it  is  a  typical  vista  of  "  Old  England." 

A  certain  room  of  the  house,  called  "  Salle  de  Per," 
contains  countless  Napoleonic  relics,  constituting  a 
unique  family  museum.  A  statue  of  the  Prince 
Imperial,  with  his  pet  dog,  adorns  the  conservatory. 
At  the  foot  lie  various  grasses,  gathered  by  the 
Empress  in  South  Africa,  when  she  made  her  sad 


A  FRENCH  "  APPRECIATION  "        139 

pilgrimage  to  Zululand — the  mute  testimony  of  a 
love  and  sorrow  beyond  words  ! 

The  Empress  is  a  great  reader,  eager  to  know 
and  understand  everything.  On  her  desk  one  can  see 
a  book  of  J.  K.  Huysmans  close  to  an  up-to-date 
medical  review.  She  pleases  herself,  says  M.  L. 
Daudet,  and  excels  in  regarding  the  past  through 
the  light  of  the  present.  Joris  Karl  Huysmans  was 
a  personal  friend  of  mine.  After  his  conversion  he 
was  received  as  a  Benedictine  Oblate  and  buried 
in  the  habit  of  the  holy  brotherhood  at  his  death  in 
Paris,  May,  1909.  According  to  the  French  custom, 
I  assisted  at  the  funeral  in  the  Church  of  Notre  Dame 
des  Champs  and  walked  behind  the  hearse  to  the 
Montparnasse  cemetery. 

In  1888  the  remains  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III. 
and  his  son  were  removed  from  St  Mary's  Church 
at  Chislehurst  to  St  Michael's  Church,  erected  by 
the  Empress  on  the  top  of  an  eminence.  To  this 
church  was  added  a  Priory  that  became  later  an  Abbey 
and  has,  since  1895,  been  attended  by  a  Benedictine 
community  now  composed  of  some  forty  members, 
French  and  English,  including  "  religieux  de  choeur 
et  freres  laic." 

The  Rme.  Pere  Abbe,  Dom  F.  Cabrol,  elected 
Lord  Abbot  of  St  Michael  on  July  20,  1903,  was  born 
at  Marseilles  on  December  11,  1855.  Before  1903 
he  was  Prior  of  what  was  then  the  Priory  of  Farn- 
borough.  Dom  Cabrol  is  the  author  of  several 
volumes  of  great  value  to  students  of  ecclesiological 
and  archaeological  literature.  Since  the  Benedictines 
have  been  at  Farnborough  they  have  completed, 
under  Dom  Cabrol's  direction,  a  very  important  and 
valuable  work,  entitled  :  "  Dictionnaire  d'Archeologie 


HO    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Chretienne  de  Liturgie,"  characterised  by  the  best 
traditions  of  the  Benedictine  school. 

At  Farnborough  Abbey  the  day's  activities  begin 
at  four  A.M.  The  seven  canonical  hours  in  the 
Catholic  Breviary  are  recited  during  the  day. 
Between  the  services  the  members  of  the  community 
occupy  themselves  with  intellectual  work  in  the 
silence  of  their  cells,  specially  devoting  themselves 
to  the  study  of  archaeology,  the  Christian  Liturgy  and 
ecclesiastical  history.  When  circumstances  require  it, 
the  Benedictine  monks,  wherever  they  may  be,  under- 
take preaching  and  other  pastoral  work. 

By  deed  of  gift,  the  Empress  transferred  the 
Church  and  Abbey  of  St  Michael — the  imperial 
mausoleum  and  its  appurtenances — to  the  Benedictine 
Monks  in  perpetuity.  Now,  the  noble  Andalouse, 
the  once  so  dazzling  and  envied  French  Sovereign, 
the  exiled  and  sorrowful  widow  of  Napoleon  III., 
the  mother  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  lives  only  in  the 
past : 

"  I  have  live'd — I  have  been.  I  do  not  want  to  be 
anything  more,  not  even  a  memory.  I  am  the  past — 
one  of  those  distant  horizons,  confused  and  lost, 
which  the  traveller,  looking  back,  gazes  at  from  the 
summit  of  a  mountain,  and  which  he  forgets  in 
the  expectation  of  viewing  the  new  scenes  already 
outlined  before  him.  I  live,  but  I  am  no  more  :  a 
shadow,  a  phantom,  a  grief  which  walks.  .  .  .  Between 
my  past  and  my  present  not  only  fifty  years  inter- 
vene, but  ten  centuries !  I  am  a  poor  woman,  who 
has  lived  long  and  suffered  much.  I  am  like  one 
who,  walking  backwards,  gazes  towards  the  horizon 
which  he  has  already  passed.  I  have  renounced 
the  future.     I  live  in  my  youth  and  in  my  past.     And 


A  FRENCH  "  APPRECIATION  "       141 

all   the   rest   is   shadow,   deep    shadow.     I   have   no 
more  to  expect.     Even  my  sad  winter  is  finishing." 

After  those  solemn  words  of  the  once  radiant 
Empress,  we  can  but  bow  our  heads  in  mute  respect 
before  this  "  grand  adversity,"  and  express  our 
sincere  gratitude  to  Mr  Edward  Legge  for  his 
authentic  book  on  one  of  the  most  touching  and 
striking  personalities  of  French  history,  the  Empress 
Eugenie. 

Henriette  L'Huillier. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ROCHEFORT  AND  THE    EMPRESS 

The  Empress  Eugenie  has  seen  the  most  redoubt- 
able adversary  of  the  Second  Empire  pass  away, 
five  years  her  junior.  One  can  scarcely  imagine 
that  Henri  Rochefort's  appearance  was  unknown 
to  the  Empress;  still,  I  have  heard  that  she  had 
never  seen  him  until  a  few  years  before  his  death. 

The  Empress  is  of  such  a  forgiving-and-forgetting 
nature  that  she  had  doubtless  pardoned  the  renowned 
journalist  for  all  his  rudenesses  to  herself  and  the 
dynasty.  In  a  long  conversation  which  I  once  had 
with  M.  Rochefort  in  Paris,  I  found  him  delight- 
fully frank  and  genial,  brimful  of  humour.  He 
received  me  in  his  shirt-sleeves,  and  told  me  (as  I 
had  seen  for  myself)  that  he  wrote  a  "  leader  "  every 
day  for  his  paper,  just  as  in  the  old  times.  Not  long 
before  his  death,  on  July  i,  19 13,  he  made  an 
extraordinary  volte-face,  casting  in  his  lot  with  the 
partisans  of  the  Due  d*Orleans,  and  even  appearing 
on  the  platform  with  the  "  White  Carnations,"  or 
"  Camelots,"  who  at  one  time  caused  the  Royalist 
Pretender  so  much  embarrassment.  But  we  must 
remember  that  he  came  of  an  old  Legitimist  family, 
and  that  he  was  by  right  the  Marquis  de  Rochefort- 
Lu^ay. 

When  we  talk  about  the  causes  which  led  to  the 
disintegration  of  the   Second  Empire  we  must  take 

142 


ROCHEFORT  AND  THE  EMPRESS     143 

into  account  the  heavy  blows  dealt  it  by  Rochefort's 
little  scarlet-covered  pamphlet,  the  "  Lanterne,'* 
which  did  more  harm  to  the  regime  than  the  most 
violent  attacks  by  equally  able  but  less  virulent  pens. 
Rochefort's  methods  as  a  pamphleteer  were  all  the 
more  effectual  because  they  were  besprinkled  with 
jocose  dicta.     Frequently  they  were  scabreux. 

These  are  extracts  translated  by  me  for  this 
work  from  the  more  decorous  numbers  of  the 
"  Lanterne  "  : — 

(1868.)  When,  ten  years  ago,  the  Queen  of  England 
came  to  Paris  to  pay  a  solemn  visit  to  the  actual  lodgers  at 
the  Tuileries,  *  the  paid  newspapers  declared  that  Semiramis 
was  a  mere  blanchisseuse  de  fin  as  compared  to  this  great 
Queen.  The  journalist  who  allowed  himself  to  criticise  even 
the  colour  of  her  dress  would  have  been  sentenced  to  be 
shot  several  times  running.  ...  If  Queen  Victoria  visits  the 
Empress  Eugenie  she  is  immense.  If  the  Queen  declines 
to  visit  the  Empress  she  has  taken  leave  of  her  senses. 
[So  the  subventioned  journals  said,  according  to  Rochefort.  ] 

A  Spanish  journalist  has  been  sentenced  to  a  year's  imprison- 
ment for  writing  fulsomely  about  thin  women.  In  this  was 
seen  an  allusion  to  the  embonpoint  of  the  Queen  of  Spain, 
who  considered  the  reference  to  be  indirectly  aimed  at  her. 
The  Spanish  journalist  has  been,  however,  better  treated  than 
I  was,  for  he  got  only  a  year's  imprisonment,  while  I  had 
thirteen  months'  gaol  for  having  offended  the  Empress  by 
letting  it  be  supposed  that  some  European  Sovereigns  perhaps 
wore  false  hair. 

(September  lo,  1868.)  Napoleon  III.  is  decidedly  the  Offen- 
bach of  Emperors,  not  as  chef  d'orchestre,  but  as  jettatore 
[a  person  with  an  "  evil  eye  "]. 

It  suffices  for  him  to  visit  the  bedside  of  a  person  who  is 
ill  to  ensure  the  death  of  the  sufferer  that  night.  The  Due  de 
Morny  died  immediately  after  the  Emperor  had  called  to 
see    him.      Mocquard    [the    Emperor's    secretary]    no    sooner 

*  Napoleon  III.  and  the  Empress  Eugenie  were  so  designated. 


144    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

saw  the  hero  of  the  Coup  d'Etat  enter  the  room  in  which  he  was 
lying  very  ill  than  he  died,  without  making  any  revelations. 
The  Spanish  Government  being  in  a  bad  way,  Queen  Isabella 
contrived  to  get  an  interview  with  her  powerful  neighbour 
[Napoleon  III.],  and  immediately  witnessed  the  overturn  of 
her  throne  before  even  she  had  had  time  to  embrace  this 
providential  man. 

A  woman  recently  arrived  in  Paris  escorted  on  one  side  by 
her  husband  and  on  the  other  by  her  amant.  Well  !  do 
you  know  who  is  the  mother  who,  far  from  turning  her  head 
from  this  spectacle,  entertained  all  three  at  her  chateau  at 
Pau?  The  Empress  of  the  French.  Such  are  the  tableaux 
(vivants)  that  we  are  offered  by  the  heads  (less  and  less 
crowned)  of  France  and  Spain.  [The  persons  referred  to 
were  Queen  Isabella  and  Marfori,  the  Royal  "favourite."] 

The  Empress,  who  seems  to  have  assumed  the  Regency  even 
during  the  lifetime  of  this  poor  Emperor^  has  expressed  a 
wish  to  see  the  streets  of  our  principal  towns  named  after 
men  who  have  left  noble  examples  for  others  to  follow. 
I  am  of  the  same  opinion  as  Madame  la  R6gente.  At  the 
same  time  I  am  surprised  that  we  have  neither  a  Rue  Victor 
Hugo,  a  Rue  Garibaldi,  a  Boulevard  Baudin  [an  insurrectionist, 
shot  by  Louis  Napoleon's  troops  when  defending  a  barricade], 
nor  a  Square  Gambetta,  while  we  have  a  Rue  Morny  [the 
Emperor's  half-brother],  who  has  left  such  a  brilliant  example 
for  us  to  follow ;  and  a  Boulevard  du  Prince  Imperial,  who, 
although  twelve  years  and  seven  months  old,  has  not  shown 
us  any  samples  of  his  handwriting. 

It  will  be  seen  by  these  few  extracts  from  the 
"  Lanterne  "  that  Henri  Rochefort,  knowing  his 
countrymen  so  well,  obtained  his  effects  by  means  of 
that  ridicule  which,  as  Voltaire  says,  "  always  comes 
off  victorious  "  ("  Le  ridicule  vient  a  bout  de  tout  "), 
while  Beaumarchais  holds  that  "  Le  ridicule  tue  en 
France."  How  successful  Rochefort  was  in  his  con- 
tinuous "  chaffing  "  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress 
was  admitted  by  that  brilliant  writer,  the  late  JVI.  Jules 
Claretie,    who,    in    one    of    his    charming    weekly 


ROCHEFORT  AND  THE  EMPRESS     145 

letters  in  the  "  Temps  "  ("  La  Vie  a  Paris"),  said 
emphatically  :  "  Rochefort  overthrew  the  Empire." 
The  "  Lanterne,"  price  forty  centimes,  first  appeared 
in  the  latter  part  of  May,  1868;  No.  3  was  published 
on  June  15.  In  October  of  that  year  the  "  Diable 
a  Quatre  "  (fifty  centimes)  was  launched  in  a  red 
cover  similar  to  that  of  the  "  Lanterne."  De  Ville- 
messant,  founder  of  the  "  Figaro,"  was  one  of  the 
editors,  and  made  it  known  that  Rochefort  was  in  no 
way  associated  with  it ;  in  fact  he  was  repudiated. 

In  1869  Rochefort  and  another  noted  member 
of  the  Corps  Legislatif,  Raspail,  brought  in  a  Bill 
providing  for  a  new  organisation  of  the  Constitution. 
The  Minister  of  the  Interior  having  described  it 
as  "  a  silly  measure,"  Rochefort  said  :  "  If  I  am 
ridiculous  I  shall  never  equal  in  that  way  the  gentle- 
man who  walked  on  the  sands  of  Boulogne  with 
an  eagle  on  his  shoulder  and  a  bit  of  bacon  in  his 
hat."  This  little  gibe,  so  characteristically  Roche- 
fortian,  highly  tickled  "  the  gentleman  "  in  question 
when  he  read  it  in  the  privacy  of  his  sanctum  at  the 
Tuileries.  For  all  that,  however,  Rochefort  was 
prosecuted  in  June,  1869,  for  complicity  in  the  illegal 
introduction  of  the  "  Lanterne  "  into  France  (it 
had  been  published  at  Brussels),  and  was  sentenced 
to  three  years'  imprisonment,  the  payment  of  a 
fine  of  10,000  francs  (;^40o),  and  forfeiture  of  his 
rights  as  a  citizen  for  three  years. 

Released  from  prison  on  the  fall  of  the  Empire 
and  chosen  as  a  member  of  the  Government  of 
National  Defence,  Rochefort  in  1871  took  an  active 
part  in  the  Commune,  and  was  one  of  many  who 
were  deported  to  the  penal  settlement  of  New 
Caledonia.     In  1874  Rochefort  and  five  of  his  friends 


146     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

escaped  through  the  good  offices  of  an  Englishman, 
Captain  David  Law,  who  was  paid  ;^400  for  con- 
veying the  six  deportes  to  Australia.  Captain 
Law's  story  of  the  event  was  this  :  "  The  ship  had 
been  cleared  at  the  Custom  House,  and  the  pilot  took 
us  outside  the  port,  ready  to  start  at  daybreak. 
I  made  some  excuse  to  the  pilot  for  not  being  able 
to  leave  at  the  fixed  time.  The  Communists  had 
not  come  aboard  yet,  and  I  had  anchored,  so  as  to 
pick  them  up  in  the  night.  That  evening  I  gave 
orders  that  none  of  the  crew  were  to  remain  on  deck, 
so  that  all  were  sound  asleep  when  the  fugitives 
arrived.  One  of  the  Communists,  named  Bastien, 
had  charge  of  the  boat  which  was  to  bring  them  from 
the  shore.  I  understood  that  Bastien  was  the  owner 
of  the  boat;  and  on  Friday,  at  two  in  the  morning, 
the  six  Communists  came  aboard — namely,  Henri 
Rochefort,  Paschal  Grousset,  Ollivier  Pain,  Jourde, 
Balliere  and  Bastien.  Immediately  they  had  climbed 
on  deck  the  little  boat  was  stove  in  and  sunk. 
I  led  the  new-comers  to  the  stern  cabin,  and  by  the 
dim  light  at  once  recognised  Henri  Rochefort, 
whose  photograph  I  happened  to  have  in  my  cabin. 
I  then  placed  them  all  in  the  store-room,  where 
they  remained  until  we  were  far  out  at  sea. 
M.  Balliere  did  not  give  me  any  money  at  Noumea, 
for  the  very  good  reason  that  he  had  none;  and 
it  was  only  on  our  arrival  at  Sydney  that  they 
received  funds  from  France  by  telegraph.  They 
assured  me  that  it  was  Gambetta  who  helped  them." 
One  result  of  their  escape  was  that  the  captain  of 
the  port,  M.  Gouet,  lost  his  situation,  and  subsequently 
fell  into  the  direst  misery.  M.  Magnin,  one  of 
the  members  of  the  Government  of  National  Defence 


ROCHEFORT  AND  THE  EMPRESS     147 

of  1870,  died  in  November,  19 10,  leaving  Rochefort 
the  sole  survivor  of  that  government. 

Paris  (and  London  when  he  was  here  for  a  con- 
siderable period  in  the  eighties)  could  show  no  more 
striking  figure  than  that  of  the  amazing  fighting 
journalist,  author,  pamphleteer  and  art  expert.  He 
was  over  six  feet  in  height,  neither  actually  stout 
nor  thin,  but  finely  proportioned,  and  when  I  met 
him  as  upright  as  a  lath.  He  was  Mephistophelian 
in  appearance.  His  heavy  military  moustache  and 
imperial  (the  goatee  of  the  Americans)  and  his 
soldierly  bearing  suggested  a  Napoleonic  Cent-Garde 
— as  fine  a  regiment  as  our  Life  Guards.  I  had 
seen  these  splendid  fellows  at  the  Tuileries  when, 
as  a  boy,  I  first  went  to  Paris,  with  a  "  tenner  "  in 
my  pocket  on  which  I  lived  for  a  fortnight  en  prince, 
or  so  I  thought  at  the  time,  the  time  "When  all  the 
world  is  young,  lad,  and  every  goose  a  swan." 
Three  or  four  years  later  I  saw  them  on  the  battle- 
field. Rochefort  was  bon  diable.  He  did  all  the 
talking  and  enjoyed  it.  We  stayed  an  hour  or  so, 
and  then  he  said  suddenly  :  "  Well,  I'm  delighted 
to  have  seen  you,  my  dear  Millage,  and  your  young 
friend.  If  he  writes  anything  about  me  be  sure 
I  see  it.  He  ought  to  live  among  us  for  a  year  or  two 
— it  would  be  the  making  of  him." 

When  next  I  saw  him  he  was  in  exile  in  London, 
and  living  Regent's  Park  way.  There  was  a 
French  artist  named  Pilotel,  who  made  a  large  income 
by  (drawing  fashion  pictures  for  the  "  Lady's  Pictorial." 
An  old  friend,  Henry  Pottinger  Stephens  (the 
"  Pot  "  Stephens  of  the  "  Sporting  Times  "  and 
later  of  the  "Daily  Telegraph"),  made  me  acquainted 
with  the  artist  and   I   got  to  know  him   very  well. 


148     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

I  believe  Pilotel  had  been  a  Communard  in  1871. 
Between  him  and  Rochefort  there  was  the  bitterest 
enmity.  "  Rochefort,  that  canaille !  "  he  would  say, 
in  his  English-French.  "  He  is  a  rank  coward — 
everybody  knows  that.  I  will  follow  him  all  over 
Europe  and  denounce  him.  Canaille,  Canaille, 
Canaille  !  I  spit  upon  him — like  this. "  One  day 
the  two  met  outside  the  Cafe  Royal.  There  was 
a  scrimmage  and  both  were  walked  off  to  Vine 
Street  police  station.  I  think  they  were  in  custody 
only  for  a  very  short  time,  and  that  they  did  not  go 
before  the  "  beak  "  at  Marlborough  Street.  Pilotel 
had  "  diggings  "  near  Jermyn  Street  and  Stephens 
told  me  that  he  had  adorned  the  walls  of  his  bed- 
sitting-room  with  as  choice  a  group  of  young  women 
"  in  the  altogether  "  as  any  old  West  End  satyr 
could  have  wished  to  see.  I  never  inspected  the 
Pilotel  exhibition.  An  eminent  man,  Diderot,  once 
said :  "  I  like  to  see  nudities  well  enough ;  but 
I  do  not  like  anyone  to  show  them  to  me."  I  think 
most  men  share  that  opinion.  I  have  no  "  views  " 
on  this  subject,  nor  on  that  of  feminine  dress  in  19 16. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE'S  FAMILY  TREE 

The  little  Spanish  town  of  Montijo,  in  the  province 
of  Badajoz,  was  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  comte  in 
1697  by  King  Carlos  11.  for  the  benefit  of  Jean  de 
Porto-Carrero  (a  member  of  a  Genoa  family),  who 
married  the  sister  of  the  Comte  de  Teba,  of  the 
old  family  of  the  Guzmans.  One  of  the  three  sons 
of  that  gentleman  was  the  father  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie.  He  was  a  Count  of  Teba  and  a  Count  of 
Montijo  and  also  a  Marquis  of  Ardales.  Further 
genealogical  details  appear  in  other  works, 
blunders  and  all,  and  are  of  the  slightest  interest 
except  to  those  who  care  to  amuse  themselves  and 
puzzle  their  readers.  Amiable  attempts  have  been 
made  to  surround  the  parentage  of  the  Empress 
with  suspicion;  to  sully  her  fair  fame;  and  some 
French  journals  concerned  in  the  promulgation  of 
these  libels  were  successfully  prosecuted.  Since 
those  prosecutions  the  august  lady  has  remained 
indifferent  to  what  has  been  published  on  the  subject. 

It  was  in  the  house  No.  12  Rue  de  Gracia,  Granada, 
that  the  Empress  Eugenie  was  reputed  to  be 
born,  and  there  is  still  to  be  seen  on  it  an  inscription 
in  Spanish  to  that  effect.     It  runs : 

En  este  casa  nacio  la  illustre 

Seftora  Dofta  Eugenie  de  Guzman 

y  Portocarrero, 

Actual  Emperatriz  de  los  Franceses. 

149 


I50    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

El  Ayuntamiento  de  Granada 

Al  Colocar  esta  Lapida  se  honra  con 

Al  recuerdo  de  so  noble  compatricia 

Ano  de  1867. 

The  official  certificate  of  birth  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie  recites  that  she  was  born  at  Granada  on 
May  5,  1826,  and  baptized  in  the  Chapel  Royal  of  that 
town  in  the  names  of  Marie  Eugenie  Ignace  Augustine, 
the  legitimate  daughter  of  the  "  excellentissimes 
seigneurs  D.  Cipriano  Guzman  Palafox  y  Portocarrero 
et  Dame  da  Maria  Manuel  Kirkpatrick  y  Grivegnee, 
Comte  de  Teba,  Marquis  d'Ardales,  et  Grand 
d'Espagne."  The  mother  is  stated  in  this  document 
to  have  been  the  "  daughter  of  M.  Guillaume 
Kirkpatrlck-Wilson,  native  of  Dumfrite  (Dumfries), 
in  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  and  of 
Dona  Francisca  Grivegnee  y  Gallegos,  native  of 
Malaga."  The  copy  of  the  original  document  was 
made  at  Granada  on  December  21,  1889. 

"  The  Empress  regrets  that  she  cannot  become 
a  patroness  of  the  Glasgow  Dumfriesshire  Society. 
For  a  long  time  past  she  has  declined  to  accept  the 
numerous  invitations  of  this  kind  which  she  has 
received,  asking  her  to  allow  her  name  to  appear 
on  public  lists  of  [benevolent]  associations,  and 
she  regrets  that  she  cannot  in  this  case  make  an 
exception  to  her  invariable  rule.  To  show  the  Interest 
which  she  takes  in  the  Glasgow  Dumfriesshire 
Society,  however,  she  encloses  a  cheque  for  ;^5." 

Such,  In  substance,  is  the  letter  addressed  by 
M.  Pietrl,  In  October,  1908,  to  Professor  Edgar,  of 
St  Andrews  University,  president  of  the  Glasgow 
Dumfriesshire  Society,  who  had  requested  the 
Empress  to  allow  her  name  to  be  placed  upon  the 


THE  EMPRESS'S  FAMILY  TREE      151 

list  of  patrons  of  the  association.  M.  Pietri  added 
that  "  very  old  family  ties  "  caused  the  Empress 
to  take  an  interest  in  the  society ;  hence  the  donation, 
in  the  form  of  a  cheque  signed  "Comtesse  de  Pierre- 
fonds."  Her  Majesty's  name  had  not  then  often 
figured  on  subscription  lists  or  amongst  the  patrons  of 
our  innumerable  philanthropic  institutions;  so  that 
M.  Pietri's  communication  came  as  an  interesting 
novelty  and  was  honoured  by  universal  mention 
in  the  Press.  Further,  it  served  to  remind  the  public 
of  the  Empress's  connection  with  Dumfriesshire 
through  the  Kirkpatricks  of  Closeburn. 

Mr  Tom  Wilson,  in  the  "  Dumfries  Courier  and 
Herald,"  noted  "  a  most  interesting  fulfilment  of 
a  Thomas-the-Rhymer  prophecy  that,  when  the  moat 
of  Closeburn  Castle  should  be  filled  up  and  the 
dungeons  used  for  household  purposes,  a  descendant 
of  the  Kirkpatricks  would  sit  on  an  Imperial  throne — 
conditions  which  were  effected  by  Sir  Charles  Gran- 
ville Stuart-Menteth,  somewhere  before  1847, 
converting  the  old  peel  tower  into  a  dairy;  which 
was  followed,  in  1853,  by  this  daughter  of  the 
Kirkpatricks  becoming  the  consort  of  Napoleon  III." 

The  correspondence  between  Professor  Edgar  and 
M.  Pietri  formed  an  agreeable  subject  of  con- 
versation and  comment  in  Scotland,  and  particularly 
in  Dumfriesshire,  and  led  to  the  publication  in  the 
journal  above-mentioned  of  what  may  be  regarded 
as  the  only  accurate  version  of  the  Empress's  Scottish 
ancestry.  I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Edgar  for 
the  subjoined  copy  of  the  statement  referred  to  : — 

Once  in  the  long  ago  the  Empress  Eugenie's  ancestors 
were  a  power  in  Dumfriesshire.  Tradition  says  the  Kirk- 
patricks  held   lands    in    Nithsdale   as    far   back    as    a.d,    800, 


152     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

and  traced  their  descent  from  the  giant  King  Finn,  the 
son  of  Cool,  through  his  son  Ossian,  the  poet.  Yvone  de 
Kirkpatrick  (1135),  Knight  of  Closeburn,  married  the  Lady 
Euphemia  Bruce,  who  was  descended  from  the  Royal  Kenneth 
M'Alpine  (a.d.  843)  through  the  granddaughter  of  King 
Edmund  Ironside.  The  friendship  between  the  families  of 
Bruce  and  Kirkpatrick  seems  to  have  lasted  long,  for  King 
Robert  Bruce,  in  1306,  spoke  of  Sir  Roger  Kirkpatrick,  the 
slayer  of  the  Red  Comyn,  as  his  old  friend,  "  vetus  amicus." 
Another  Kirkpatrick  captured  Caerlaverock  Castle  from  King 
Edward  of  England  fifty  years  after.  In  1454,  young 
Alexander  Kirkpatrick  took  James,  the  ninth  Earl  of  Douglas, 
prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Burnswark,  but  he  nobly  refused 
to  give  him  up  until  he  was  assured  of  the  old  man's  pardon. 
Then  his  king  gave  him  the  lands  of  Kirkmichael  as  his 
guerdon.  This  Alexander  was  second  son  of  another  Sir 
Roger  Kirkpatrick  of  Closeburn  by  his  wife,  Mary,  the 
daughter  of  Lord  Somerville,  and  granddaughter  of  Alexander, 
Lord  Darnley,  ancestor  of  James  VI.  of  Scotland  and  I.  of 
England. 

Kirkmichael  remained  with  this  branch  of  the  family  for 
nearly  two  centuries,  and  to  this  day  may  be  seen  grand 
old  trees,  probably  planted  by  Wm.  Kirkpatrick,  the  last 
laird  of  Kirkmichael,  for  he  sold  portions  of  his  property 
to  Sir  John  Charteris  of  Amisfield,  and  lived  at  Knock  till 
his  death.  He  is  buried  in  the  kirkyard  of  Garrel,  close  to 
the  ruins  of  the  old  church.  On  the  lintel  of  the  doorway 
is  carved  the  date  of  161 7.  Mr  Campbell  Gracie  cleared 
away  the  moss  on  the  tombstone,  and  the  inscription  read  : — 
"  Here  lies  the  corps  of  William  Kirkpatrick,  who  departed 
this  life  9th  June,  1686.  His  eldest  son,  George  Kirkpatrick 
of  Knock,  who  departed  this  life  1738,  aged  67  years." 
To  this  day  the  inscription  and  the  coat  of  arms  can  easily 
be  traced.  Next  this  grave  is  the  stone  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  Empress  Eugenie's  great-great-great-grand- 
father— Robert  Kirkpatrick  of  Glenkiln.  Legend  says  he 
was  beheaded  in  Edinburgh  for  his  loyal  adherence  to  the 
Stuarts,  but  nothing  of  this  is  related  on  his  stone.  It  only 
records  his  many  good  qualities  : — "  Robert  Kirkpatrick 
of  Glenkiln,  died  12  Oct.,  1746,  aged  68  years.  The 
superior     qualities  .   .  .  the     perfected  .  .  .  aided     by    honest 


THE  EMPRESS'S  FAMILY  TREE      153 

.  .  .  duties  .  .  .  his  attention  in  his  life  ...  his  amiable  dis- 
position endeared  him  to  ...  '  Mrs  Kirkpatrick  '  (she  was 
a   Miss  Gillespie   of   Craigsheills),    died    2'j   June,    1771,    aged 

. "     This   Robert  was   the  Laird  of  Kirkmichael's   second 

son.  Robert's  third  son,  William,  of  Conheath,  and  of  Over 
and  Nether  Glenkiln  and  Lambfoot,  Kirkmichael,  married 
Mary  Wilson,  the  heiress  of  Kelton,  Kirkcudbright,  and  had 
by  her  nineteen  children.  His  sixth  son,  William,  emigrated  to 
Spain,  where  he  married  Dona  Francesca  de  Grivegnee,  the 
daughter  of  the  Baron  de  Grivegnee,  whose  other  daughter 
married  the  grandfather  of  the  celebrated  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps. 

William  Kirkpatrick  seems  to  have  travelled  a  good  deal 
in  his  time,  for  he  visited  his  kinsfolk  in  County  Dublin, 
the  descendants  of  George  Kirkpatrick  of  Knock.  They 
still  preserve  his  letters  written  from  Malaga,  where  he  was 
American  Consul.  He  was  in  business  as  a  wine  merchant, 
and  suffered  severely  from  the  French  invasion  of  Spain. 
He  had  one  son  and  four  daughters  :  the  son  and  one  daughter 
died  in  infancy.  His  three  surviving  daughters  were  all 
very  beautiful — the  eldest,  Dona  Maria  Manuela,  married  the 
wealthy  Count  de  Monti  jo,  a  grandee  of  Spain  of  the  first 
rank ;  Dona  Carlota  Catalona  married  her  cousin,  Thomas 
James,  son  of  John  Kirkpatrick  of  Conheath  ;  Dona  Henriqueta 
married  Don  Domingo  Carbarrus  y  Quelty,  Count  de 
Carbarrus. 

When  the  Count  de  Montijo,  who  also  was  Duke  de 
Tameranda,  was  engaged  to  the  lovely  Maria  Manuela  Kirk- 
patrick— as  he  was  one  of  the  most  illustrious  nobles  of  the 
land — it  was  necessary  for  him  to  ask  his  Sovereign's  consent, 
which  could  not  be  given  till  the  lady's  ancestry  was  proved 
equal  to  the  Count's.  Mr  Kirkpatrick  at  once  wrote  to  his 
relative,  the  late  Chas.  Kirkpatrick  Sharpe,  Hoddam,  who 
soon  sent  his  pedigree  showing  the  quartering  of  his  family. 
So  illustrious  did  the  Kirkpatrick  tree  appear  that  the  King 
at  once  exclaimed,  "  Let  the  good  man  marry  the  daughter 
of  Fingal. "  The  issue  of  this  marriage  was — first,  Dona 
Maria  Francesca  de  Sales,  who  married  the  Duke  de  Berwick 
and  Alba,  and  died  in  i860;  the  second  was  the  beautiful  and 
amiable  Dona  Maria  Eugenie,  who  married  Napoleon  HL, 
Emperor  of  the  French. 


154    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

In  December,  1907,  Mr  T.  Fisher  Unwin  still 
further  enlightened  us  by  this  interesting  communica- 
tion to  a  London  paper  : — 

Your  notes  on  the  Kirkpatrick  family  recall  to  my  mind  my 
old  friend,  Mr  Kirkpatrick,  coffee  and  tea  dealer,  Queen  Street, 
Cheapside.  It  must  be  nearly  forty  years  ago  when  I 
used  to  take  home  a  weekly  supply  of  fresh-roasted  coffee 
from  his  shop.  It  was  an  old-fashioned  place,  small  windows 
with  china  bowls  of  coffee  and  tea,  about  the  last  of  the  old 
type  of  coffee  and  tea  merchants.  Mr  Kirkpatrick  himself 
was  typical  of  the  old-time  gentleman  tradesman,  with  a  stick- 
up  collar,  stock  and  dress-coat.  He. always  used  to  refer  to 
the  Empress  as  his  cousin  Eugenie.  Such  is  my  memory, 
but  others  may  be  able  to  give  fuller  details.  The  shop  was 
very  near  the  spot  which  is  now  Jones  &  Evans's  bookshop, 
only,  of  course,  the  street  has  been  set  back  since  that  date. 

Some  of  the  Empress's  Scottish  connections  reside 
in  Paris,  as  witness  this  item  from  the  "  Figaro  " 
(January  30,  1909) :  "  The-bridge  chez  Mme  Kirk- 
patrick de  Closeburn.  Remarque  dans  I'elegante 
assistance — Princesse  de  Faucigny-Lucinge,  Comtesse 
de  Tredern,  Mme  Wellesley,  Duchesse  de  Bellune, 
etc." 

The  Empress's  sojourn  in  Ireland  in  July,  1909, 
is  fully  narrated  in  my  previous  work,  "The  Empress 
Eugenie:  1870 — 1910."  As,  however,  the  Imperial 
lady's  genealogy  formed  a  fruitful  theme  for  dis- 
cussion during  the  visit,  a  brief  reference  to  the 
question  may  be  made  here.  "  The  Empress's 
visit,"  remarked  the  "  Irish  Times,"  "  has  a  special 
interest  from  the  fact  that  in  coming  to  Ireland 
she  is  visiting  the  home  of  her  ancestors,  her 
Majesty  being  a  descendant  of  an  Irish  gentleman 
who  settled  in  Spain." 


THE  EMPRESS'S  FAMILY  TREE      155 

Mr  Alf.  S.  Moore,  writing  in  another  Dublin 
periodical,  "  The  Lady  of  the  House,"  headed  a 
well-illustrated  article,  "  An  Empress  of  France  in 
the  Home  of  her  Ancestors.  How  a  Belfast  Mer- 
chant's Granddaughter  became  the  last  Empress 
of  France."  "  It  is  necessary,"  said  Mr  Moore,  "  to 
go  back  considerably  over  a  century  to  trace  the 
Empress's  forbears."  At  that  period  "  the  shops 
in  Belfast  were  modest,  and  few  of  them  less  pre- 
tentious than  the  small  warehouse  in  Bridge  Street 
behind  the  little  many-framed  window  over  which 
creaked  the  hanging  sign  of  '  William  Kirkpatrick, 
Grocer.'  " 

Mr  Kirkpatrick's  "  restless  spirit  ill-fitted  him 
to  be  a  grocer  in  an  Irish  country  town  "  ;  the  sea- 
captains  who  visited  his  shop  painted  an  alluring 
picture  of  the  Republic  across  the  Atlantic,  "  a 
land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,"  and  so  dazzling 
was  the  prospect  that  he  emigrated.  In  the  United 
States  he  "  soon  found  himself  climbing  the  ladder; 
and  as  *  drummer,'  or  buyer,  for  several  Belfast 
and  Dublin  merchants,  he  watched  his  purse  fatten." 
In  course  of  time  he  was  appointed  United  States' 
Consul  at  Malaga,  married  and  had  one  son  and 
four  daughters;  the  boy  and  two  of  his  sisters  died, 
leaving  Mr  and  Mrs  Kirkpatrick  with  two  daughters, 
one  of  whom  became  the  Comtesse  de  Montijo,  mother 
of  the  Empress  Eugenie  and  the  late  Duchesse 
d'Albe. 

This  is  a  variant  of  the  accepted  genealogy  of 
the  Imperial  lady.  It  was,  however,  reserved  for 
Mr  Moore  to  tell  us  that  the  Empress's  grandfather 
had  resided  at  Belfast,  although  the  Scottish  version 
of  the  family  history  had  informed  us  that  William 


156    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Kirkpatrick  "  seems  to  have  travelled  a  good  deal 
in  his  time,"  and  to  have  "  visited  his  kinsfolk  in 
county  Dublin." 

Assuming  Mr  Moore  to  be  correct  in  his  facts, 
"  an  "  ancestor  of  the  Empress — her  paternal  grand- 
father— did  reside,  for  an  unstated  time,  in  Ireland, 
although  he  was  born  in  Scotland.  The  assertion 
of  the  "  Irish  Times  "  that  William  Kirkpatrick 
was  an  "  Irish  gentleman  "  is  not,  therefore,  strictly 
speaking,  accurate ;  but  probably  it  will  be  agreeable 
to  the  Empress  and  her  friends  to  find  the  chivalrous 
and  warm-hearted  natives  of  the  Green  Isle — 

First  flower  of  the  earth,  first  gem  of  the  sea — 

expressing  so  ardent  a  desire  to  prove  that  she  is 
of  Irish  descent.  No  one  will  need  to  be  reminded 
of  the  sympathetic  link  which  has  so  long  existed 
between  the  Irish  and  the  French.  During  the  war 
of  1870  correspondents  of  Irish  journals  who  were 
attached,  as  I  was,  to  the  German  forces  were  not 
infrequently  twitted  with  the  friendly  feeling  dis- 
played by  Ireland  for  France. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE   EMPRESS'S   TEARS 

For  the  second  time  since  her  arrival  in  the  land  of 
her  exile,  in  September,  1870,  the  Empress  Eugenie 
has  been  seen  in  an  English  Protestant  place  of 
worship,  and  on  both  occasions  it  was  a  mourning 
service  at  which  she  assisted.  In  Lord  Sydney,  the 
most  notable  Lord  Chamberlain  of  the  Victorian  reign, 
she  had  had  a  valued  friend,  who  had  been  one  of 
the  distinguished  personages  gathered  around  the 
coffin  of  the  Prince  Imperial  in  the  little  Catholic 
Church  at  Chislehurst  in  the  summer  of  1879.  The 
funeral  service  for  Lord  Sydney  was  solemnised 
in  the  Protestant  Church  of  Chislehurst ;  and  not  a  few 
of  the  congregation — Mr  Gladstone,  Lord  Granville 
and  other  Liberal  statesmen — were  surprised  when  the 
Prince  who  is  enshrined  in  our  memory  as  Edward  VII. 
was  seen  leading  in  the  widow  of  Napoleon  III. 

That  was  the  Imperial  lady's  first  appearance 
in  an  English  Protestant  church.  For  the  second 
time  (November  5,  19 14)  she  listened  to,  and  took  an 
eager  part  in,  the  beautiful  Anglican  service  for 
the  dead  at  the  Chapel  Royal,  St  James's  Palace,  in 
memory  of  Prince  Maurice  of  Battenberg,  one  of  the 
gallant  sons  of  Queen  Victoria's  youngest  daughter. 
With  Princess  Beatrice  (whose  character  has  been 
portrayed  by  her  illustrious  mother  in  a  glowing 
tribute,  penned  on  the  occasion  of  her  confirmation) 
the  Empress  has  been  on  the  most  affectionate  terms 
157 


158     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

for  forty-four  years;  still,  the  surprise  of  the  day  at 
the  in  memoriam  service  in  the  Palace  Chapel  in 
1 9 14  was  the  presence  of  the  aged  godmother  of  the 
Queen  of  Spain,  the  only  sister  of  the  young  hero 
whose  loss  the  nation  laments. 

Eugenie  de  Montijo,  for  eighteen  years  Empress  of 
the  French,  was  the  one  historic  figure  in  that  gathering 
of  two  Queens,  a  King,  an  Heir-Apparent,  Princes 
and  Princesses  of  our  own  Royal  House,  a  Prince  and 
two  Princesses  of  the  French  Orleans  Royal  Family, 
Ambassadors  and  Ministers  of  Legation,  the  few 
surviving  members  of  that  "  Old  Guard  "  who  spent 
their  best  years  in  the  service  of  King  Edward  and 
Queen  Alexandra,  two  Field-Marshals  (Lords  Kit- 
chener and  Grenfell),  a  Russian  Grand  Duke,  and  the 
Prime  Minister. 

A  Bonapartist  Empress,  Princesses  of  the  family 
of  King  Louis  Philippe,  our  own  Sovereign  Lord,  and 
our  Sovereign  Ladies  kneeling  side  by  side  in  the 
Chapel  Royal  on  "  Inkerman  "  Day — here  was  a 
spectacle  for  the  historians  of  this  reign,  so  teeming 
with  events  and  episodes  for  which  the  printed  page 
has  no  parallel. 

Among  this  congregation  of  the  elite  were  to  be  seen 
four  who  knew  better  than  all  others  the  extremely 
cordial  relations  which,  from  1870  onwards,  have 
formed  an  indissoluble  link  between  certain  members 
of  our  Royal  Family  and  the  Empress.  These  are 
Queen  Alexandra,  Lord  Knollys,  Miss  Charlotte 
Knollys  and  Sir  Dighton  Probyn.  The  initiative 
was  taken  by  Queen  Victoria,  who,  very  shortly  after 
the  arrival  of  the  dethroned  lady  on  our  shores  early 
in  the  September  of  the  "  Terrible  Year,"  took 
Princess  Beatrice  with  her  to  Chislehurst  to  offer  the 


THE  EMPRESS'S  TEARS  159 

hand  of  friendship  to  the  fair  exile,  whose  hospitality 
had  been  extended  to  our  Sovereign  and  her  two 
eldest  children  at  a  period  when  the  Napoleonic  star 
was  at  its  brightest. 

In  January,  1873,  the  Queen  and  Princess  Beatrice, 
watched,  from  a  gallery  in  the  grounds  of  Camden 
Place,  the  funeral  cortege  of  the  Emperor.  When, 
six  and  a  half  years  later,  the  country  was  shocked 
by  the  tragedy  in  Zululand,  the  Queen  and  her 
daughter  hastened  to  condole  with  the  stricken 
Empress.  Later  they  were  not  infrequently  at  Farn- 
borough  Hill.  Often  since  the  Queen's  death  the 
mother  of  Prince  Maurice  has  consoled  the  Empress 
at  Cap  Martin,  and  Princess  Christian  has  cheered 
the  veuve  tragique  at  her  picturesque  Hampshire 
home. 

When  the  untimely  death  of  Edward  VH.  steeped 
the  Empire  in  gloom  no  letters  were  more  sympathetic, 
and  few  more  masterly,  than  those  written  by  the 
Empress  to  the  members  of  our  Royal  Family, 
notably  to  Queen  Alexandra,  Princess  Henry  of 
Battenberg,  and  Princess  Christian.  It  was  the 
grateful  remembrance  of  all  these  Royal  friend- 
ships that  impelled  the  Empress,  in  her  eighty-ninth 
year,  to  range  herself  by  the  side  of  her  cherished 
friend,  Princess  Henry,  in  the  hour  of  her  grief.  As 
they  greeted  each  other,  on  arriving  and  departing, 
the  Empress's  eyes  were  bedewed  with  tears. 

As  the  "  Requiem  ^ternam  "  and  Mendelssohn's 
"  Marche  Funebre  "  filled  the  little  fane  with  divine 
melody  and  "  Lie  still,  beloved,"  brought  tears  into 
many  eyes,  some  of  the  soldiers  present  may  have  had 
in  their  thoughts  the  tender  words  of  the  "  enemy  " 
song :     "  I   had  a  comrade — you   could    not   find   a 


i6o     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

better  one.  The  drum  called  to  battle.  He  marched 
next  to  me,  at  the  same  pace.  A  bullet  comes  flying. 
Is  it  for  me  or  for  you?  It  brings  him  down.  He 
is  lying  at  my  feet  as  if  he  were  a  piece  of  myself." 

You  do  not  know  a  man  thoroughly  until  you  have 
stood  by  his  side  when  bullets  sing  and  shells  fly. 
Nights  in  the  trenches  and  the  march  into  action  at 
sunrise  reveal  the  souls  of  men  to  each  other  as  they 
are  never  otherwise  revealed.  Those  who  shared 
with  Maurice  of  Battenberg  the  perils  and  the  glories, 
the  happiness  and  the  miseries  of  life  at  "  the  front  " 
will  retain  memories  of  his  pluck,  his  lovable  nature, 
and  his  good  comradeship.  For  all  he  had  a  cheery, 
kindly  word,  and  all  had  a  kindly  word  for  him. 

While  tenderest  sympathy  went  out  to  the  bereaved 
and  widowed  mother,  affectionate  thoughts  were  of 
another  Prince,  who,  in  19 lo,  passed  out  of  a  crowded 
life  of  soldiering  abroad  and  well-doing  at  home  : 
Queen  Mary's  brother,  Francis,  whose  last  hours  were 
solaced  by  the  presence  of  a  loving  sister  and  her 
King-Consort,  who  closed  the  eyes  of  one  who  had 
fought  for  our  cause  in  Egypt  and  in  South  Africa 
and  had  nobly  earned  the  Victorian  medal  and  the 
D.S.O. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE    EMPRESS'S    "  INDISCRETIONS  " 

The  Empress  had  not  been  in  England  two  months 
ere  she  surprised  the  world  by  publishing  two  docu- 
ments which  can  be  classed  only  as  "  indiscretions." 
Who  prompted  her  to  perpetrate  these  absurdities 
I  cannot  say,  but  Mr  Algernon  Borthwick,  *  the 
editor  of  the  "  Morning  Post,"  knew,  and,  as  the 
friend  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  and  his  Majesty's 
constant  supporter  in  the  London  Press,  he  was 
within  his  right  in  criticising  these  effusions. 

Both  communiques  were  sent  from  Chislehurst 
to  the  "  Daily  News."  The  second  in  point  of  fact, 
but  the  more  remarkable  of  the  two,  was  originally 
written  in  French.  The  editor  explained  that  it 
was  "  an  authentic  statement  of  facts,  and  of  the 
views  of  the  illustrious  lady  mainly  concerned  " ;  and 
that  his  "  sole  object  in  publishing  the  communica- 
tion" was  "  to  afford  an  opportunity  for  the  rectification 
of  false  statements  which  had  been  very  generally 
diffused."  From  the  "  Daily  News  "  (October, 
1870): 

"Since  her  arrival  in  England  the  Empress  Eugenie 
has  not  only  remained  a  stranger  to  every  intrigue,  but 
has  repelled,  with  energy  and  dignity,  everything 
which   looked   like   a   Bonapartist   conspiracy.     It   is 

*  The  late  Lord  Glenesk  (died  October,   1908). 
L  161 


162     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

not  to  be  inferred  that  she  has  lost  all  hope  of  a 
restoration,  nor  is  her  present  silence  to  be  construed 
to  the  prejudice  of  the  future;  but,  with  a  political 
sagacity  which  misfortune  has  rendered  more  clear- 
sighted than  ever,  she  has  perceived  that  the  moment 
for  dynastic  speculations  is  not  yet  arrived,  and 
that  too  great  haste  would  infallibly  prove  fatal 
to  her  hopes.  At  this  moment  her  anxieties  are 
of  another  kind.  With  the  same  fidelity  as  if  she 
were  still  in  France,  and  in  full  possession  of  the  power 
which  the  disaster  of  Sedan  destroyed,  her  thoughts 
were  occupied  solely  with  the  national  defence. 
Upon  that  point  her  ideas  are  in  complete  accord 
with  those  of  the  Government  of  Tours — the  refusal 
of  all  cession  of  territory. 

"  The  evidence  of  this  may  be  found  in  her  answer  to 
the  first  emissary  sent  to  her  by  M.  de  Bismarck 
on  the  15th  of  last  month  (September),  when  she  had 
been  only  a  few  days  in  England,  and  when  the 
events  that  had  brought  about  her  exile  were  still  so 
recent  that  she  might  perhaps  have  been  excused 
if  she  had  seized  on  the  first  opportunity  of  exercising 
her  authority  as  Regent.  Prussia,  at  that  time,  was 
ready  to  make  peace.  The  victories  of  Weissenberg, 
of  Forbach  and  of  Sedan  were  enough  for  her 
glory.  Public  opinion  in  Germany  had  not  then 
been  embittered  by  the  continuance  of  a  war  which 
the  surrender  of  the  Emperor  promised  at  first  to 
terminate,  and  the  Chancellor  of  the  North  German 
Federation  did  not  then  feel  himself  obliged  to 
conclude  a  peace  on  the  basis  of  Strasburg — the 
key  of  the  house,  as  he  calls  that  French  city — 
with  a  portion  of  the  department  of  the  Bas-Rhin, 
including   but   250,000   inhabitants,   and   with  a   war 


THE  EMPRESS'S  "INDISCRETIONS"     163 

in'demnity  of  2,000,000,000  of  francs.*  The  Empress 
rejecting,  long  before  the  Provisional  Government, 
the  idea  of  territorial  cession,  refused  this  proposition ; 
which  has  remained  so  completely  unknown  that  views 
are  to-day  imputed  to  her  which  would  be  wholly 
inconsistent  with  her  past  acts,  and  as  hostile  to 
her  interests  as  to  those  of  France.  No  doubt 
conversations  take  place  at  Chislehurst  between  the 
Empress  and  her  household.  The  chances  of  restora- 
tion and  the  means  to  be  employed  when  the  hour 
shall  strike  may  well  be  discussed,  but  such  views 
are  private  and  have  remained  private,  nor  has 
any  indiscretion — a  thing  in  itself  improbable — given 
to  anybody  the  right  to  state  them  in  a  positive 
form,  much  less  to  give  them  an  official  character. 

"To  form  a  juster  estimate  of  the  various  narratives 
that  have  been  published,  it  needs  only  to  keep 
in  mind  the  intrigue  in  which  General  Bourbaki 
became  an  involuntary  tool,  or  that  famous  manifesto 
imputed  to  the  prisoner  of  Wilhelmshohe.  It  is 
known  to-day  how  entirely  ignorant  was  the  Empress 
of  those  two  matters,  and  what  a  surprise  to  her 
was  the  arrival  of  the  confidant  of  Marshal  Bazaine. 
It  ought  to  be  equally  well  known  that  her  desire 
to  take  part  in  none  of  the  intrigues  of  which  it  was 
sought  to  make  Chislehurst  the  centre  has  been 
formally  expressed.  The  Empress  lives  in  the  most 
absolute  retirement,  surrounded  by  a  few  persons 
whose  devotion  is  known,  coming  but  seldom  to 
London,  dividing  her  hopes  between  France  and  her 
son.  The  arrival  of  General  Boyer  was  as  unexpected 
as  that  of  General   Bourbaki.     It  was  only  natural 

*  ;^8o, 000,000.  The  money  indemnity  alone  ultimately 
exacted  was  five  milliards  of  francs,  or  ;^20o,ooo,ooo. 


i64     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

that  the  envoy  sent  by  Marshal  Bazaine  to  the 
Prussian  headquarters  should  have  thought  it  a 
duty,  when  his  mission  was  accomplished,  to  pay 
his  respects  to  the  Empress  at  Chislehurst,  and  to 
apprise  her  of  what  was  passing  at  Metz.  Everything 
beyond  this  is  pure  imagination.  There  was  no 
question  of  a  military  revolution  in  the  interview 
of  last  Saturday  at  Chislehurst,  but  solely  of  the 
possibility  of  continued  resistance.  To  suppose  that 
the  discussion  between  the  Empress  and  General 
Boyer  had  any  other  end  is  to  hold  light  the  military 
honour  of  the  defender  of  Metz,  as  well  as  to  confess 
ignorance  of  the  relations  existing  since  the  Mexican 
war  between  Marshal  Bazaine  and  the  Empress, 
with  whom  he  has  never  been  a  favourite. 

"  From  such  an  interview,  it  is  a  long  step  to  that 
project  of  the  Empress's  journey,  and  to  that  part 
she  was  to  be  made  to  play  in  the  negotiations 
for  peace.  No  doubt  the  Empress  eagerly  desires  to 
see  an  end  of  hostilities ;  but  whatever  those  reckless 
partisans  whose  dangerous  services  she  rejects  may 
assert,  or  allow  to  be  supposed,  and  whatever  may  be 
the  diplomatic  intrigues  of  which  M.  de  Bismarck 
desires  to  make  her  an  instrument,  it  is  certain  that  she 
does  not  dream  of  sacrificing  an  inch  of  French 
territory  or  any  part  of  the  honour  of  the  country  to 
her  dynastic  interest. 

"  When  Alsace  and  Lorraine  shall  be  no  longer 
in  question,  the  Empress  will  doubtless  use  every 
effort  to  put  herself  in  agreement  with  the  country, 
with  a  view  to  obtaining  an  honourable  peace,  but 
till  then  she  will  abstain,  with  the  same  dignity 
and  resolution  as  heretofore. 

"  In  view  of  a  recent  communication,  it  is  proper  to 


THE  EMPRESS'S  "INDISCRETIONS"     165 

add  that  family  intrigues  succeed  no  better  with 
the  Empress  than  those  which  are  hatched  from 
beyond  the  Rhine.  What  is  known  of  the  two  inter- 
views between  the  Empress  and  her  cousin,  Prince 
Napoleon,  serves  to  show  her  firmness  and  her  just 
appreciation  of  men,  as  well  as  of  circumstances. 
It  is  well  known  indeed  that  the  Emperor's  cousin 
has  never  been  in  any  great  odour  of  sanctity  at  the 
Tuileries,  and  that  the  Empress  personally  has 
taken  little  pains  to  conceal  her  prepossessions 
against  one  whom  she  has  always  considered  the 
Emperor's  enemy.  The  political  temperament  of 
Prince  Napoleon,  and  his  philosophical  and  moral 
opinions,  were,  it  is  true,  but  little  in  accordance  with 
those  of  the  Empress,  and  the  sad  events  of  which 
France  has  been  the  victim  did  not  in  any  way  tend 
to  reconcile  views  or  feelings,  between  which  there 
had  been  no  possible  point  of  contact.  Be  that  as  it 
may,  and  not  to  push  an  inquiry  into  psychological 
peculiarities,  it  is  certain  that  the  second  and  last  visit 
of  Prince  Napoleon  at  Chislehurst  ended  in  an 
explosion.  The  Prince  may  protest  as  much  as  he 
likes ;  that  will  not  alter  the  facts. 

"  During  this  last  visit  Prince  Napoleon,  with  his 
usual  impulsiveness,  allowed  himself  to  express 
somewhat  harshly  his  opinions  touching  the  different 
Ministries  of  the  last  month  of  the  Empire,  and  he 
went  so  far  as  to  call  one  of  them  a  Ministry  of 
idiots  (cretins).  Now,  the  sentiment  of  gratitude 
is  very  strong  with  the  Empress,  and  she  made  a 
reply  to  her  illustrious  cousin,  of  which  the  following 
sentences  convey  the  substance,  if  not  the  precise 
words :  '  I  know  not,  Monseigneur,'  said  the 
Empress,  '  what  you  mean  by  a  Ministry  of  idiots; 


i66     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

but  what  I  do  know  is  that,  down  to  the  last  moment, 
the  Emperor  was  served  by  devoted  and  faithful 
friends.  For  the  last  eighteen  months  you  have 
opposed  the  Empire;  and  those  about  you  have 
never  ceased  to  undermine  it,  and  to-day,  when  the 
Emperor  is  fallen,  you  pursue  him  still.  Had  you 
been  at  Paris  on  the  4th  of  September  you  might 
have  been  able  to  give  us  good  advice,  but  you  were 
absent,  as  you  have  so  often  happened  to  be  at  the 
moment  of  danger,  of  course  to  your  great  regret, 
as  I  do  not  doubt.'  Upon  this.  Prince  Napoleon 
tarried  no  longer.  He  took  up  his  hat  and  left  the 
room." 

On  the  day  after  the  appearance  of  this  Chislehurst 
"  Manifesto,"  as  it  was  termed,  Mr  Borthwick 
reproduced  it  in  the  "  Morning  Post,"  accompanied 
by  a  trenchant  leading  article,  portions  of  which  are 
appended : — 

"  Francis  I.  wrote,  '  Tout  est  perdu  fors  I'honneur.' 
The  Empire  will  hardly  save  even  that  remnant  if 
its  representatives  insist  on  giving  to  the  world  such 
material  for  scandal  as  is  afforded  by  the  statement 
which  we  publish  in  another  column.  We  have  ever 
held  the  Empress  Eugenie  in  the  highest  respect, 
and  now  more  than  ever  is  it  incumbent  on  English- 
men to  testify  their  regard  for  the  dynasty  which 
has  been  faithful  to  the  English  alliance,  and  which, 
in  its  exile,  claims  from  us  every  expression  of 
sympathy  and  hospitality.  But  about  her  Imperial 
Majesty  there  must  be  some  very  injudicious  advisers. 
Whatever  course  that  illustrious  lady  may  choose 
to  pursue,  it  cannot  be  right  to  publish  to  the  world 


THE  EMPRESS'S  "INDISCRETIONS"     167 

the  secrets  and  the  family  quarrels  of  Chislehurst. 
We  have  no  wish  to  learn  that  Prince  Napoleon 
called  the  Ollivier  Cabinet  a  Ministry  of  Cretins, 
or  that  the  Empress  in  reply  taunted  the  Prince  in 
the  strongest  words  which  a  woman  could  use  to  a 
man,  and  that  he  took  up  his  hat  and  left  the  room. 
Such  painful  scenes  should  not  be  forced  on  public 
attention,  and  those  who  advised  their  Mistress  to 
disclose  the  squabbles  of  a  divided  House  are 
guilty,  not  only  of  bad  taste,  but  of  positive  treason. 
The  explosion  at  Chislehurst  should  have  been 
treated  like  the  great  work  of  Slawkenbergius.  The 
philosophical  and  moral  opinions  of  Prince  Napoleon, 
his  psychological  peculiarities,  and  their  little  accord- 
ance with  those  of  the  Empress,  are  subjects  which 
had  best  be  left  alone,  and  not  stirred  before  the 
public  face." 

The  Empress,  Mr  Borthwick  pointed  out,  had 
rejected,  at  Chislehurst,  Bismarck's  offers,  and  "  the 
Germans  were  positively  forced  forward  by  the 
foolish  incapacity  of  the  persons  they  treated  with." 
"  It  is  deplorable  to  think  that  those  about  the  Empress 
should  have  only  seen  a  '  Bonapartist  conspiracy' 
in  the  offer  of  easy  terms.  What  flatterers  can  have 
told  her  Majesty  that  '  her  political  sagacity  is 
more  clear-sighted  than  ever,  that  the  moment  for 
dynastic  speculations  is  not  yet  arrived,  and  that  too 
great  haste  would  infallibly  prove  fatal  to  her 
hopes  '  ?  How  trifling  is  the  fate  of  a  dynasty  when 
compared  with  the  ruin  of  an  Empire !  " 

One  can  see  the  Prisoner  at  Wilhelmshohe  reading 
the  article,  and  thanking  his  stars  that  at  least  one 
friend  remained  candid  enough  to  warn  his  impetuous 


i68     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

consort  of  the  blunders  she  was  making  at  the 
instigation  of  the  "  self-seeking  toadies  who  sur- 
rounded her,  each  more  ruse  than  the  other."  *  But 
this  washing  of  the  Imperial  linen  in  public,  these 
refusals  of  the  Regent  to  listen  to  the  "  easy  terms  " 
proffered  by  the  Chancellor  of  the  North  German 
Confederation,  were  more  than  blunders — they  were, 
in  the  editor  of  the  "  Morning  Post's  "  words, 
'^  positively  high  treason."  The  results  of  the 
"  policy  "  originated  in  the  Blue  Salon  at  Camden 
Place  were  seen  a  couple  of  months  later,  in  the 
terms  of  peace  not  offered,  but  demanded  and  exacted 
— the  cession  of  the  two  provinces  and  a  cash 
indemnity  of  ;^ 200,000,000,  with  sundry  other  humilia- 
ting conditions.  Moltke  thought  it  "  not  enough," 
and  would  have  added  another  milliard,  another 
;!/^  40,000,000,  to  the  indemnity,  but  for  Bismarck's 
objections  and  the  intercession  of  the  British  Govern- 
ment. Bismarck  was,  as  the  Eton  boy  wrote  of 
Dr  Benson,  "  a  beast,"  but  he  was  "  a  just  beast  " — 
always,  of  course,  in  the  interests  of  the  Fatherland. 

The  "  Manifesto  "  which  aroused  the  ire  of 
Mr  Borthwick  was  not  the  first  document  of  its  kind 
which  emanated  from  Chislehurst  while  the  Empress 
was  still  invested  with  the  powers  (such  as  they  then 
were)  of  the  Regency.  Two  days  before  the  appear- 
ance of  the  effusion  printed  at  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter  a  species  of  avant-coureur  had  been  published, 
also  in  the  "  Daily  News  "  (just  then  at  the  height 
of  its  enviable  reputation),  and  reproduced  by  the 
"  Morning  Post  "  and  the  "  Times  "  :— 

"  Notwithstanding   what    is    announced,  and    even 
*  "  Morning  Post,"  October  29,  1870, 


THE  EMPRESS'S  "INDISCRETIONS"     169 

affirmed,  in  certain  English  journals  pretending  to 
have  the  best  information,  the  Empress  Eugenie  has 
taken  no  part  in  any  one  of  the  combinations  referred 
to  having  for  their  object  either  peace  or  an  armistice. 
The  salon  at  Chislehurst  has  not  become,  in  any  sense, 
an  official  salon.  It  is  still  that  of  an  exile;  and 
if  its  doors  are  open  to  those  who  knock  for  admittance 
it  is  not  to  afford  them  a  field  for  discussing  peace 
or  war.  General  Boyer,  the  envoy  of  Marshal 
Bazaine,  may  have  approached  the  Empress  with  a 
view  to  propositions  of  peace  or  war  to  be  submitted 
to  Prussia,  but  he  was  received  with  no  more  favour 
than  were  the  emissaries  of  M.  de  Bismarck  on 
a  former  occasion.  When  a  former  envoy  of  the 
Chancellor  of  the  North  German  Confederation  came 
to  propose  peace,  declaring  that  King  William  was 
disposed  to  content  himself  with  2  5o,cxx)  French 
inhabitants,  Strasburg  included,  the  Empress  replied 
with  great  energy  that,  so  long  as  an  enemy  was  in 
France,  and  so  long  as  there  was  any  question  of  the 
smallest  cession  of  territory,  she  would  hold  aloof 
from  every  negotiation.  The  events  of  the  last  month 
have  made  no  change  in  her  resolution,  and  so  far 
as  the  efforts  of  General  Boyer  have  been  directed  to 
this  point  they  have  completely  failed. 

"  Nor  could  the  mission  of  General  Boyer  have 
had  for  its  object  to  consult  the  Empress  as  to  the 
propriety  of  surrendering  Metz  at  this  moment. 
That  is  only  one  way  of  connecting  the  real  object 
of  his  journey.  Marshal  Bazaine,  confident  in  the  real 
strength  of  his  position  as  a  general  who  has  suffered  no 
defeat,  and  at  the  head  of  the  only  French  army  which 
still  exists,  thinks  himself  entitled  to  exercise  not 
a  little  influence  on  the  question  whether  peace  shall 


I70     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

be  made  or  hostilities  continue.  He  would  gladly 
make  himself  indispensable;  would  gladly  be  the 
dictator,  with  whom  the  enemy  would  have  to  treat, 
taking  the  lead  both  of  the  Government  which  sits  at 
Tours  and  of  that  which  is  shut  up  in  Paris.  He 
would  rejoice  that  France  should  owe  peace  or  victory 
to  him,  and  to  him  only.  This  is  a  respectable 
ambition,  exaggerated  as  it  may  perhaps  be;  but  it 
must  not  be  inferred  that  Marshal  Bazaine  would 
rather  conclude  a  peace  favourable  to  the  Napoleonic 
dynasty  than  in  accordance  with  the  true  interests 
of  his  country. 

"  There  is,  then,  no  particle  of  truth  in  the  stories 
told  about  the  interview  at  Chislehurst;  and  it  can 
scarcely  be  necessary  to  add  that  the  approaching 
journey  of  the  Empress  to  King  William's  head- 
quarters belongs,  like  all  the  rest,  to  that  domain  of 
invention  in  which  the  subtle  genius  of  Prussia, 
coming  to  the  aid  of  her  present  difficulties,  has  con- 
trived, during  the  last  few  weeks,  to  lead  us  astray. 

"  Prince  Napoleon,  taking  sides  with  those  who 
would  perhaps  have  wished  to  induce  the  Empress 
to  commit  an  indiscretion,  has  had  his  trouble  for 
his  pains,  while  his  violent  recriminations  against 
the  past  policy  of  the  Empire  had  no  other  result 
than  to  compel  him  to  listen  to  some  harsh  truths  from 
his  Imperial  cousin  [the  Empress]  and  to  cause 
him  to  quit  Chislehurst  somewhat  suddenly — where 
indeed  his  reception  had  been  of  the  coldest." 

With  the  severe  censure  of  the  "  Morning  Post  " 
ringing  in  her  ears  and,  we  may  be  certain,  a  copy 
of  the  Bonapartist  organ  in  her  pocket,  the  Empress 
started  on  a  flying  visit  to  her  husband,  travelling 


THE  EMPRESS'S  "INDISCRETIONS"     171 

as  "  Comtesse  Clary,"  and  escorted  by  the  Count 
himself.  Mr  Borthwick's  denunciation  of  the  Mani- 
festo appeared  on  the  29th  of  October;  on  the 
following  day  the  Empress  reached  Wilhelmshohe, 
and  probably  had  to  listen  to  a  lecture  from  her 
consort  on  the  folly  of  alienating  their  champion 
in  the  London  Press  at  a  moment  when  his  support 
was  doubly  precious. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

HOW  THE  GERMANS  TREATED  THEIR 
EMPEROR-PRISONER 

The  3rd  of  September,  1870,  fell  on  a  Saturday. 
On  the  I  St  the  battle  of  Sedan  had  been  fought;  the 
next  day  the  arrangements  for  the  surrender  of  the 
French  forces  were  completed,  and  the  Emperor 
had  delivered  himself  into  the  King  of  Prussia's 
hands,  a  prisoner.  On  the  3rd  the  Empress's  consort 
began,  unknown  to  her  at  the  moment  (she  was  still 
at  the  Tuileries,  which  she  vacated  on  the  4th),  his 
journey  to  Wilhelmshohe,  where  he  remained  seven 
months  and  then  joined  his  wife  and  son  at  Camden 
Place,  Chislehurst,  where  he  died  on  the  9th  of 
January,  1873.  On  the  day  of  the  Emperor's 
departure  from  Sedan  to  his  "  prison  "  the  German 
forces  left  the  battlefield  for  Paris,  which  they 
surrounded  on  the  19th  of  September.  I  accom- 
panied a  battery  of  the  Crown  Prince  of  Saxony's 
army,  and  remained  with  it  "  before  Paris  "  until 
November.  I  have  fully  described  this  march  to  the 
French  capital  in  my  work  on  the  Kaiser.*' 

There  is  only  one  authoritative  account  of  the 
Emperor's  life  during  his  captivity,  "  Napoleon  III. 
auf  Wilhelmshohe,"  written  by  his  niece,  Tony  von 
Held,  from  the  "  papers  "  of  General  of  Infantry 
Count  C.  von  Monts,  in  whose  custody  the  Emperor 

*"The  Public  and  Private  Life  of  the  Kaiser  Wilhelm  II." 
London  :   Eveleigh  Nash.      191 5. 

172 


THE  EMPEROR-PRISONER  173 

was  placed  by  King  (afterwards  Emperor)  William  I., 
the  present  Kaiser's  grandfather.  General  Monts 
was  born  in  1801,  and  was  sixty-nine  when,  in  1870, 
he  became  Governor  of  Cassel.  In  1866  he  com- 
manded the  6th  Army  Corps  in  the  war  with  Austria. 
He  took  no  part  in  any  of  the  battles  in  1870;  after 
the  war  he  became  commander  of  the  nth  Army 
Corps,  retired  the  same  year  (187 1),  and  died  at 
Dresden  in  1886,  aged  nearly  ninety. 

Some  two  years  ago  a  French  translation  of  the 
German  work  appeared,  *  and  from  it  I  have  gathered 
the  materials  for  this  chapter.  (The  name  of  M.  Paul- 
Bruck  Gilbert,  mentioned  in  the  footnote,  is  familiar 
to  me,  as  he  is  the  translator  of  my  volume,  "  The 
Empress  Eugenie :  1870 — 1910,"  which  is  to  be 
issued  by  MM.  Pierre  Lafitte  et  Cie.,  the  publishers  of 
General  Monts'  work.) 

On  September  4,  1870,  t  the  chief  magistrate 
of  Cassel  received  from  the  King's  headquarters  at 
Varennes  a  telegram  signed  by  General  von  Treskow 
(aide  de  camp)  stating  that  the  French  army  had 
capitulated  and  that  the  chateau  of  Wilhelmshohe, 
three  miles  from  Cassel,  had  been  chosen  as  the 
residence  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  who  would 
arrive  immediately  in  charge  of  General  von  Boyen. 
In  concert  with  the  general,  the  chief  magistrate 
was  to  be  "  very  attentive  to  all  the  Emperor's 
legitimate  wishes.     The  public  attitude  towards  the 

*"  La  Captivit6  de  Napoleon  III.  en  Allemagne."  Souvenirs 
traduits  de  TAUemand  par  Paul-Bruck  Gilbert  et  Paul  L6vy. 
Preface  par  Jules  Claretie,  de  rAcaddmie  Franfaise.  Paris  : 
Pierre  Lafitte  et  Cie. 

t  Date  of  the  proclamation  of  the  Republic  and  the  hasty 
departure  of  the  Empress  from  the  Tuileries. 


174    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Emperor  must  be  decorous.  The  public  are  to  be 
kept  out  of  the  railways  and  from  the  immediate 
proximity  of  the  chateau." 

The  chateau  is  surmounted  by  a  cupola,  and  has  a 
portico  of  six  columns.  It  had  been  in  past  times  a 
Benedictine  monastery,  and  then  became  the  summer 
residence  of  the  Electors  of  Hesse.  With  its 
great  lake,  old  trees  and  park  it  is  a  charming  home. 
From  a  hill  overlooking  the  chateau  there  is  a 
magnificent  view  of  the  "  mountains  "  and  forests 
of  Thuringia.  In  1807  Jerome  Napoleon  (grand- 
father of  the  Princes  Victor  and  Louis  Napoleon) 
was  made  King  of  Westphalia  by  his  brother,  the 
Great  Emperor,  and  resided  at  the  chateau,  which 
contains  numerous  Napoleonic  souvenirs,  including 
a  portrait  of  Queen  Hortense,  mother  of  Napoleon  III., 
who  was  somewhat  surprised,  when  he  first  strolled 
through  the  apartments,  at  finding  it  there. 

The  majority  of  the  population,  and  of  the  middle 
classes,  of  Hesse  regretted  that  so  beautiful  a  place 
should  have  been  assigned  to  "  the  instigator  of 
this  bloody  war.  The  hotelkeepers  at  Cassel,  and 
especially  those  at  Wilhelmshohe,  highly  approved 
of  the  Emperor's  internment  so  near  Cassel,  and  they 
benefited  largely  therefrom  "  (Monts). 

The  Emperor  reached  Cassel  in  the  evening  of 
September  5,  and  was  met  at  the  railway  station  by 
the  principal  authorities.  General  Monts  and  others. 
It  was  raining  in  torrents  when  the  train  arrived. 
As  the  Emperor  and  the  officers  accompanying  him 
alighted  a  company  of  infantry  presented  arms,  and 
General  Boyen,  with  whom  was  Prince  Lynar  (formerly 
secretary  of  the  German  Embassy  at  Paris),  intro- 
duced  Monts  to  the    Emperor,   who   passed  slowly 


THE  EMPEROR-PRISONER  175 

along  the  line  of  troops  and  sainted  them.  All 
the  members  of  the  party  were  at  once  driven  to  the 
chateau,  where  an  officer  and  forty  men  were,  and 
remained,  on  duty,  while  eight  men  were  posted 
round  the  house. 

The  members  of  the  Emperor's  suite  did  not  arrive 
until  after  midnight.  They  were  escorted  to  the 
chateau  by  hussars.  The  Imperial  party  comprised 
the  Emperor;  General  Castelnau,  first  aide  de  camp; 
General  Prince  de  la  Moskowa,  second  A.D.C.; 
Brigadier-General  Comte  Reille,  A.D.C.;  Brigadier 
General  Comte  Pajol;  Brigadier-General  de  Vaubert; 
Prince  Achille  Murat,  officier  d'ordonnance ;  Com- 
mandant Hepp,  of  the  General  Staff;  Comte  Lauriston, 
officier  d'ordonnance;  Comte  Davillier,  premier 
ecuyer;  Rainbeaux,  deuxieme  ecuyer;  Senator  Dr 
Conneau,  premier  medecin;  Dr  Corvisart,  deuxieme 
medecin;  M.  Franceschini  Pietri,  private  secretary; 
and  the  Prussian  Lieutenant  Prince  Lynar. 

Forty  domestics  and  eight-five  horses  had  been 
announced;  but  there  arrived  more  than  a  hundred 
"  subalterns  " — lacqueys,  domestics,  grooms  and 
ordonnances.  Monts  thinks  that  many  of  these 
attached  themselves  to  the  Imperial  captive's  suite 
without  permission,  in  the  hope  of  sharing  the 
privileges  accorded  to  the  Emperor. 

On  the  following  day  Monts  received  from  Cler- 
mont a  telegram  saying  that  the  King  expected  him 
to  send  telegraphic  news  of  all  that  had  occurred ;  and 
on  the  same  day  General  Boyen  telegraphed  inform- 
ing Monts  that  the  King  had  confided  the  Emperor 
to  his  charge.  Simultaneously  the  Emperor  said 
he  would  like  to  see  Monts  at  2  p.m.  Boyen  now 
told    Monts    that    the    King,    on    the    Sedan    battle- 


176    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

field,  had  given  the  first  instructions  as  regarded  the 
captive  Emperor.  * 

The  interview  which  Monts,  accompanied  by  Boyen, 
now  had  with  the  captive  took  place,  says  the  former, 
in  a  very  small  room,  having  only  one  window,  at 
which  Napoleon  was  standing.  The  Emperor  invited 
the  two  generals  to  sit  down. 

"  Napoleon  looked  very  different  from  what  I  had 
imagined,  different  also  from  the  hundreds  of  portraits 
I  had  seen  of  him.  His  hair  .is  not  brown,  but 
sandy  (cendre,  blond  fonce);  scarcely  any  grey  hairs 
were  visible.  His  eyes  have  not  the  semi-lustre  of 
the  Corsicans;  they  are  blue  and  their  expression 
is  soft,  almost  tender.  The  moustache  is  neither 
turned  up  nor  waxed.  He  has  nothing  about  him 
which  might  recall  the  'vieux  grognards'  of  the  First 
Empire.  He  has  a  tired  look;  a  healthy  complexion, 
that  of  a  man  of  a  certain  age,  well  preserved. 
The  nose,  strongly  curved,  might  be  termed  Napo- 
leonic, but  not  his  chin,  which  is  not  fleshy  and 
round,  like  that  of  the  Uncle  and  of  Prince 
Napoleon,  t  His  features  express  kindliness  and 
good  will,  and  his  voice  does  not  belie  that  impression. 
His  whole  attitude  is  characterised  by  a  certain 
lassitude,  which  only  disappears  when  he  is  talking 
about  things  which  particularly  interest  him,  such  as 
the  Empress's  and  the  Prince  Imperial's  health.  He 
then  looked  almost  captivating. 

"  The  Emperor  is  short — 5  ft.  2  or  3  in.  according 

*  This  must  have  been  not  on  the  day  of,  but  the  day  after, 
the  battle,  when  the  Emperor  had  personally  surrendered  to  the 
King. 

t  Father  of  the  Princes  Victor  and  Louis  of  to-day. 


THE  EMPEROR-PRISONER  177 

to  our  measures.  His  walk  is  slow,  dragging;  he 
takes  little  steps.  Nearly  always  his  head  droops 
on  the  right  side.  Although  knowing  German  per- 
fectly he  speaks  French  almost  exclusively.  He 
thinks  he  does  not  speak  German  with  sufficient 
fluency.  When  he  does  speak  it  the  born  linguist  is 
revealed.  He  seldom  makes  the  mistake  of  trans- 
lating literally.  English  and  Italian  are  familiar  to 
him.  He  corresponds  in  both  languages  and  reads 
the  English  papers — the  '  Times  '  for  preference. 

"  Our  conversation  was  of  vague  generalities. 
The  Emperor  presented  me  to  his  generals  and  other 
members  of  the  suite.  ...  A  post  and  telegraph 
office  was  provided  at  the  chateau  for  the  use  of  the 
prisoners,  who  were  allowed  to  send  even  cipher 
messages.  ...  It  was  with  General  Castelnau,  who 
acquainted  me  with  the  Emperor's  wishes,  that  I  had 
most  interviews.  Cooks  from  the  Palace  at  Berlin 
prepared  the  meals  of  the  Emperor  and  his  suite; 
those  for  the  domestics  were  supplied  by  the  hotel- 
keeper  Schombart.  The  prisoners  were  given  great 
liberty  and  permitted  to  visit,  unaccompanied,  Cassel, 
Wilhelmstal  (a  chateau  between  those  two  places), 
and  the  environs  of  Wilhelmshohe,  either  on  foot,  on 
horseback,  or  in  carriages ;  but  they  were  not  allowed 
to  sleep  out.  They  might  wear  civilian  dress.  From 
the  outset  I  had  decided  not  to  reside  in  the  chateau, 
and  on  September  8  the  King  sent  me  a  telegram 
to  that  effect.  .  .  .  Queen  [afterwards  Empress] 
Augusta  took  the  greatest  interest  in  the  prisoners 
and  sent  them  games  of  every  kind.  A  billiard- 
table  was  specially  provided  for  them,  and  of  this  they 
made  good  use.  They  read  very  few  of  the  French 
books   in   the   fine   library.     The    Emperor   received 

M 


178     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

a  number  of  papers  from  Brussels,  including  'L'lnde- 
pendance  Beige ' ;  there  were  also  the  '  Allgemeine 
Zeitung  '  and  a  local  paper.  The  Emperor  always 
showed  himself  very  grateful  to  our  King  for  his 
kindness.  The  prisoners  were  given  back  their  arms, 
and  appeared  at  meals  in  petite  tenue,  with  sword. 
Permission  was  given  to  all,  Napoleon  included, 
to  attend  the  theatre  at  Cassel,  but  only  Prince 
Murat  availed  himself  of  the  privilege.  I  did  not 
favour  applications  to  take  part  in  the  chasses.  The 
master  of  hounds  had  told  me  that  the  (German) 
members  of  the  hunt  would  leave  the  field  if  any  of 
the  prisoners  made  their  appearance.  I  took  the 
greatest  care  to  prevent  scenes  of  this  kind." 

One  Sunday  (October  30,  1870),  General  Monts 
was  told  by  General  Castelnau  that  the  Empress 
Eugenie  had  unexpectedly  arrived  at  the  chateau. 
Monts  had  just  received  from  the  King  a  telegram 
and  sought  out  the  Emperor,  who  immediately  received 
him  not,  as  usual,  in  his  own  little  room,  but  in  a 
large  adjoining  apartment.  The  General  was  speaking 
to  his  Majesty  when  the  Empress  entered  hastily. 
She  had  come  "  straight  through  "  from  Chislehurst, 
travelling  day  and  night,  and  was  naturally  tired. 

"  Nevertheless,"  says  the  General,  "  when  I  had 
been  presented  to  her  she  entered  into  conversation 
vivaciously.  She  was  then  forty-five.  Overwhelmed 
by  misfortune,  fatigued  by  her  long  journey  and 
visibly  affected  by  the  meeting  with  her  husband 
and  by  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Metz  [on  the  27th], 
she  had  lost  her  admirable  beauty.  The  char- 
acteristics of  her  youth  had  not  vanished,  but  all 
their    freshness    had    disappeared.      Her    hair,    still 


THE  EMPEROR-PRISONER  179 

blond,  had  lost  its  former  lustre.  She  was  about 
the  same  height  as  her  consort  [5  ft.  2  or  3  in.] — 
therefore  not  short  for  a  woman.  Her  graceful  figure 
and  her  attitude  made  her  appear  still  beautiful.  * 
All  her  manner  convinced  me  that  she  had  always 
known  how  to  impose  her  views  of  her  husband's 
policy.  She  spoke  little  to  me,  more  to  the  Emperor, 
and  displayed  throughout  great  assurance  in  her 
observations.  I  derived  the  absolute  impression  that 
she  was  accustomed,  not  only  to  make  herself  listened 
to,  but  to  have  the  last  word.  She  affected  a 
certain  superiority  over  the  Emperor,  a  sort  of 
tutorship;  and  if  it  is  true  that  she  had  been  at  the 
head  of  the  war  party  in  Paris  I  fully  understand  that 
her  opinion  was  the  decisive  one. 

"  It  has  been  narrated  that,  whenever  in  conversation 
the  question  of  war  with  Prussia  was  discussed, 
the  Empress  said  :  '  It  is  my  war  !  ^  \  It  has  been 
also  reported  that,  long  before  the  war  of  1870,  the 
Grand  Duke  Nicholas  of  Russia,  being  seated  at 
table  next  to  the  Empress,  referred  to  the  growing 
rapprochement  between  Northern  and  Southern  Ger- 
many; that  the  Empress  immediately  said  that  France 
would  never  give  her  consent  thereto;  and  that  the 
Grand  Duke  replied  :   '  Then  we  shall  do  without  it.'  " 

*  In  "  The  Empress  Eugenie  :  1870 — 1910  "  there  is  a  very 
brief  account  of  her  Majesty's  visit  to  the  Emperor,  but  not 
by  General  Monts.  It  is,  moreover,  confined  to  the  actual 
meeting  of  their  Majesties  on  the  Empress's  arrival,  to  which 
General  Monts  makes  no  reference.  The  two  accounts  are, 
therefore,  entirely  dissimilar. 

t  Vide  "The  'Case'  for  the  Empress,"  in  the  volume, 
"  The  Empress  Eugenie  :  1870 — 1910,"  in  which  it  is 
emphatically  and  authoritatively  denied  that  her  Majesty  ever 
uttered  those  words. 


i8o     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

In  the  opinion  of  Monts,  this  visit  of  the  Imperial 
lady  to  Wilhelmshohe  had  political  motives.  It 
had  been  hoped  (he  adds)  that,  after  the  capitulation 
of  Metz,  the  King  of  Prussia  would  give  the  French 
armies  back  to  the  Emperor  so  that  he  might  restore 
order  and  the  Imperial  power.  The  Empress  said  to 
Monts :  "  You  see,  if  the  King  of  Prussia  had 
restored  the  French  army  to  us  we  should  have  been 
able  to  make  an  honourable  peace  and  restore  order 
in  France."  Monts  thinks  it  quite  likely  that  the 
Empress  desired  to  discuss  with  the  Emperor  what 
should  be  done  now  that  Metz  had  fallen  and  that 
the  marshals,  forty  generals  and  the  army  were 
interned  in  Germany. 

"  Attacks,"  says  Monts,  "  have  been  often  made 
on  the  character  of  the  Empress  Eugenie,  who  had 
been  brought  up  by  a  frivolous  mother.  In  fact, 
her  foolishness,  her  lightness,  her  vanity  and  her 
coquetry,  which  incited  her  to  extravagances,  were 
a  bad  example  for  the  Court.  For  the  rest  (and 
this  happens  to  all  who  play  a  part  in  public  life), 
it  may  be  presumed  that  her  critics  have  not  always 
taken  sujfhciently  into  account  facts  and  circumstances, 
and  that  in  their  criticisms  were  exaggerations  and 
even  lies.  On  this  point  the  opinion  of  a  wealthy 
Spaniard,  a  resident  for  many  years  in  Germany, 
is  much  more  valuable  than  the  gossip  of  badly 
informed  newspapers.  His  family  and  business 
affairs  often  took  this  compatriot  of  the  Empress 
into  his  native  country,  and  he  relates  that  noble 
families,  of  high  repute,  speak  only  with  esteem 
of  the  conduct  of  the  former  Mademoiselle  de 
Montijo. 


THE  EMPEROR-PRISONER  i8i 

"  The  unfortunate  Sovereign,  during  her  visit  to 
Cassel,  was  so  heavily  struck  and  tried  by  Fate  that 
no  one  could  imagine  her  to  have  been  a  frivolous  and 
superficial  person.  The  events  of  the  last  weeks 
had  undoubtedly  given  more  gravity  to  her  character. 
In  any  case,  the  Empress  did  not  make  upon 
me,  during  this  brief  meeting,  the  unfavourable 
impression  which  I  had  anticipated.  To-day  still, 
when  I  think  of  her,  I  see  her  as  a  woman  possessing 
a  maturity  of  mind,  acquired  late,  perhaps;  sure 
of  herself,  sagacious,  combining  agreeable  manners 
with  the  intelligence  of  the  woman  who  has  made  the 
interests  of  the  public  her  own.  My  feelings  con- 
cerning the  poor  woman  were  those  of  deep  compassion, 
increased  by  the  thought  that  she  must  be  conscious 
of  having  been  the  cause  of  the  punishment. 

"  In  reply  to  the  question  which  I  had  asked 
our  King  relative  to  the  stay  of  the  Empress  with  the 
Emperor,  I  received  from  Versailles  [the  Royal 
headquarters]  the  following  telegram  :  '  The  decision 
respecting  the  sojourn  of  the  Empress  at  Wil- 
helmshohe  must  be  left  entirely  to  the  two  Majesties, 
and  you  must  maintain  an  absolutely  passive  attitude. — 
William.' 

"  The  august  lady  remained  at  Wilhelmshohe  until 
the  evening  of  the  ist  of  November.  No  one  was 
informed  of  her  intentions,  but,  judging  by  her 
scanty  baggage,  she  had  made  up  her  mind  to  remain 
for  a  very  short  time.  I  was  surprised  at  seeing 
Pietri,  the  uncle  of  the  Emperor's  secretary,  return 
to  Cassel  at  the  news  of  the  Empress's  coming,  and 
that,  as  nobody  was  aware,  the  Duchess  of  Hamilton 
hastily  returned  to  Wilhelmshohe  on  the  ist  of 
November  in  the  morning.     Naturally  I  did  not  mix 


i82     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

myself  up  with  the  negotiations  which  certainly  went  on 
in  the  Emperor's  entourage.  It  is  more  than  probable 
that  they  referred  to  the  situation  at  the  moment.  * 

"  That  the  Empress  was  leaving  was  unknown 
until  the  last  moment.  In  the  afternoon,  at  five 
o'clock,  a  hired  carriage  came  to  a  door  at  the  back 
of  the  chateau,  and  the  Empress,  accompanied  by  her 
little  suite,  entered  it,  and  was  driven  off  towards  the 
railway  station.  The  Empress  alighted  at  some  little 
distance  from  the  station,  and  Commandant  Hepp, 
who  spoke  German  [he  was  an  Alsatian],  assisted 
her  to  take  the  tickets  and  to  speak  a  few  words  to 
the  guard  of  the  train,  which  went  towards  Hanover. 
She  went  straight  to  England." 

The  only  marshals  who  visited  the  Emperor  at 
Wilhelmshohe  were  Bazaine,  Canrobert  and  Leboeuf. 
MacMahon  refused  to  come.  "  General  Castelnau 
and  Marshal  Canrobert  (I  spoke  to  no  others  on  the 
subject)  energetically  denied  that  Bazaine  had  ever 
committed  a  dishonourable  act.  Bazaine's  attitude 
at  the  chateau  was  calm  and  dignified.  The  Marshal, 
his  wife  and  their  children  passed  the  winter  in  a 
small  villa  at  Cassel.  The  Emperor  always  spoke 
of  the  Marshal  in  high  terms."  Among  others  who 
presently  arrived  at  the  chateau  were  General  Prince 
Joachim  Murat  and  several  of  his  officers — all 
prisoners.     General  Henry  and  Comte  Clary  f  were 

*  No  better  proof  than  this  could  be  adduced  of  the  perfect 
freedom  accorded  to  the  Emperor  during  his  "captivity." 
How  would  he  have  fared  under  the  present  Hunnish  Kaiser? 

t  Clary  was  much  occupied  for  months  in  doing-  the  Emperor's 
behests,  not  very  successfully.  The  Comtesse  Clary,  his  wife, 
survived  him  for  many  years,  dying  in  Paris  only  in  December, 
1 91 5,  at  over  ninety. 


THE   EMPEROR-PRISONER  183 

also  seen  at  Wilhelmshohe.  I  have  a  clear  recollection 
of  both.  Clary  and  his  wife  were  prominent  among 
the  Imperial  entourage  at  Chislehurst,  and  had  many 
friends  in  London. 

On  the  19th  of  March,  1871,  the  Emperor  and  his 
suite  left  Cassel  for  England,  escorted  to  the  Belgian 
frontier  by  General  Monts.  There  was  a  great 
crowd  at  the  Cassel  station,  but  there  were  no 
"  manifestations,"  the  departure  taking  place,  says 
Monts,  "  in  absolute  silence." 

The  three  hundred  and  thirty  pages  of  General 
Monts'  book  are  a  most  valuable  addition  to  the 
literature  of  the  Second  Empire.  They  show  how 
generously  Napoleon  III.  was  treated  throughout  his 
seven  months'  internment  by  the  Emperor  William  I. 
and  his  consort,  and  mark  the  divergence  between 
the  characters  of  that  monarch  and  his  grandson. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE   "  LITTLE   MAN  " 

In  1850  Prince  Clovis  of  Hohenlohe  was  introduced, 
in  Paris,  to  the  then  Prince-President  of  the  Republic. 
Standing  near  a  door,  at  the  Elysee,  he  saw  "  a  little 
man,  looking  like  an  officer  of  Bavarian  chevau- 
legers,  wearing  the  grand  cordon  of  the  Legion 
d'Honneur."  The  "  little  man  "  (he  was  about 
5  ft.  2  in.,  or  5  ft.  3  in.  at  the  outside)  said  :  "  I 
passed  my  youth  in  Bavaria,  at  Augsburg,  and  shall 
retain  of  it  always  un  tres  bon  souvenir." 

The  diplomatist  saw,  on  the  same  occasion,  Louis 
Napoleon's  cousin,  Princesse  Mathilde,  "  une  grosse 
et  belle  dame,  convert  de  diamants."  * 

In  his  preface  to  the  French  edition  of  General 
Count  von  Monts'  narrative  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon's 
life  at  Wilhelmshohe,t  the  late  M.  Jules  Claretie, 
director  of  the  Theatre  Frangais  and  brilliant  chroni- 
queur,  has  some  characteristic  comments  on  the 
Emperor,  of  whom  he  had  been  an  opponent : — 

"  Of  all  the  moral  portraits  of  Napoleon  III.,  per- 
haps the  nearest  to  the  truth  is  that  traced  by  George 

*  "  M^moires  du  Prince  Clovis  de  Hohenlohe  "  (Tome  8). 
Paris  :  Louis  Conard,  1909. 

t  "  La  Captivit6  de  Napoleon  III.  en  Allemagne. "  Souvenirs 
traduits  de  I'Allemand  par  Paul-Bruck  Gilbert  et  Paul  L6vy. 
Preface  par  Jules  Claretie,  de  I'Acad^mie  Fran9aise.  Paris  : 
Pierre  Lafitte  et  Cie,  iqii, 

184 


THE  "  LITTLE  MAN  "  185 

Sand  :  '  He  was,  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  word,  a 
crowned  literary  man.' 

"  General  Count  von  Monts'  book  is  a  contribution 
to  the  study  of  the  Emperor's  character,  which  was 
rather  enigmatical,  resigned,  but  without  bitterness. 
A  celebrated  diplomatist  said  of  the  Emperor  :  '  He 
is  a  great  mediocrity  misunderstood.'  The  phrase  is 
cruel.  As  Sovereign,  he  only  lacked  final  success  for 
that  judgment  to  be  blotted  out. 

"  I  was  disgusted  at  seeing,  at  a  Berlin  theatre,  in  an 
adaptation  of  an  old  French  f eerie.  Napoleon  HL, 
caricatured  by  a  low  comic  actor,  dancing  a  cancan, 
his  breast  adorned  with  the  grand  cordon  of  the 
Legion  d'Honneur. 

"  Emile  de  Girardin  said  of  him,  symbolising  by  the 
phrase  all  his  policy :  '  The  Emperor  smokes  too 
much.' 

"  Forty  Years  After !  *  From  Wissembourg  to 
Wilhelmshohe  !  From  Metz  to  Sedan  !  From  Sedan 
to  Chislehurst !  From  Chateaudun  to  Champigny  ! 
From  Champigny  to  Buzenval !  What  Calvaries ! 
And  manners,  ideas,  claims,  forms  of  art — men  looking 
up  at  the  skies  while  social  realities  attract  them 
to  the  earth ! — all  is  modified  in  forty  years.  It 
seems  another  France.  But  it  is  France — France 
immortal,  the  France  of  to-day  and  the  France 
of  to-morrow,  to  which  it  is  good,  it  is  wholesome,  to 
recall  this  past  of  yesterday." 

The  Monis  Ministry  fell  in  June,  191 1,  on  a  question 
of  preparedness  for  war,  and  I  refer  to  it  only  because 
it  gave  certain  Deputies  an  irresistible  opportunity 
of  taking  a  fling  at  Napoleon  III.     In  the  Senate,  the 

*  The  title  of  a  volume  by  the  late  M.  Claretie. 


i86     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

newly  appointed  War  Minister,  General  Goiran,  had 
precipitated  that  forced  resignation  of  the  Ministry 
by  declaring  that  the  French  army  was  without  a 
generalissimo ;  and  four  days  later,  in  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies,  M.  Andre  Hesse  retorted  by  asserting 
that  it  had  been  thought  that  Generals  Jamont, 
Bruyere,  Hagron  and  Lacroix  had  been  training  them- 
selves for  the  chief  command  of  the  army  in  war-time. 

If  the  generalissimo  no  longer  existed,  or  if  the  word 
had  no  longer  the  same  significance,  what  remained  if 
war  should  break  out?  M.  Berteaux,  when  War 
Minister,  had  expressly  assured  the  House  that  there 
was  a  generalissimo.  What  did  it  all  mean?  Had 
they  forgotten  the  sad  lessons  of  1870?  " 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Napoleon  III.  was 
the  generalissimo  in  1870  until  he  handed  over  the 
supreme  command  to  Marshal  Bazaine.  General 
Pedoya  shared  the  opinion  of  General  Goiran,  "  but 
this,"  said  Claretie,  "  did  not  mean  that  the  single 
command  should  be  suppressed.  In  the  war  with 
Germany,  the  enemy  had,  as  generalissimo,  not  King 
William,  but  Von  Moltke,  chief  of  the  general  staff. 
When  a  sovereign  was  not  equal  to  his  task,  it  was  a 
great  misfortune  for  his  country,  as  was  proved  in  the 
case  of  Napoloen  III.  In  1870  he  was  a  source  of 
weakness  to  the  army,  as,  although  he  was  at  its  head, 
he  did  not  dare  to  give  an  order." 

General  Pedoya's  words  in  191 1  were,  in  the  main, 
only  too  true,  for,  after  the  first  defeats,  the  Emperor 
was  overruled  by  those  surrounding  the  Empress, 
and  treated  as  a  negligible  quantity;  in  M.  Emile 
Ollivier's  memorable  words,  he  was  deposed  "  par  les 
siens  "  ("  by  his  own  ").  The  orders  from  Paris 
resulted,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  in  the  crowning 


THE  "  LITTLE  MAN  "  187 

disaster  at  Sedan,  for  which  the  Emperor  personally 
was  in  no  way  to  blame,  although  he  had  to  bear  most 
of  the  obloquy.  The  debate  in  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  on  the  23rd  of  June,  191 1,  showed  that  the 
Emperor  was  not  forgiven  for  faults  which  he  never 
committed.  General  Pedoya  might  have  studied 
M.  Ollivier's  fifteenth  volume  with  advantage.  He 
had  obviously  something  to  learn. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

FABLED  WEALTH  OF  THE  NAPOLEONS 

The  case  of  the  Comtesse  de  Bechevet  v.  the  son  and 
the  executors  of  the  late  Mr  Pierpont  Morgan,  *■ 
which  came  before  the  Lord  Chief  Justice  and  a  special 
jury  in  June  191 5,  and  was  settled  by  mutual  arrange- 
ment, revived  memories  of  Napoleon  HL  The  name 
De  Bechevet  was  heard  of  in  the  Court  of  Chancery 
on  November  2,  1907,  the  cause  list  for  that  day  in 
Mr  Justice  Parker's  court  containing  the  entry  :  "  In  re 
Trelawny.  Bechevet  v.  Strode."  It  was  then  stated 
that  Count  Martin  de  Bechevet,  son  of  Mrs  Trelawny 
and  the  tenant  for  life,  had  died,  and  the  Court  was 
asked  to  deal  with  the  funds  of  the  settlement. 
The  Mrs  Trelawny  in  question  was,  prior  to  her 
marriage,  Miss  Howard,  and  with  Miss  Howard  Prince 
Louis  Napoleon  (afterwards  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
HL)  was  smitten.  That  story  is  too  long  to  be  narrated 
here,  but  it  may  be  said  that  the  lady  was  very  generous 
to  the  Prince  with  her  money  when  he  was  residing 
in  London,  and  that  after  the  Revolution  of  1848 
she  went  to  Paris  and  lived  not  very  far  from  him. 
Had  he  married  Miss  Howard,  as  she  had  fondly 
anticipated  he  would  have  done,  she  would  have 
become  in  due  course  Empress  of  the  French.     But 

*  The  Countess  had  sold  some  works  of  art  to  the  late  Mr 
Pierpont  Morgan  and  now  claimed  a  certain  sum  alleged  to  be 
due  to  her. 
188 


FABLED  WEALTH  OF  NAPOLEONS     189 

that  was  not  to  be;  and  she  married  Mr  Clarence 
Trelawny  after  she  had  been  created  Comtesse  de 
Beauregard.  She  died  some  five  years  before  the 
great  war  of  1870. 

The  centenary  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  in  19 15 
and  the  death  at  the  age  of  one  hundred  and 
four  of  an  Englishwoman  who,  when  only  three 
years  old,  had  seen  Napoleon  I.  when  the  Belle- 
rophon  anchored  in  Plymouth  Sound,  again  reminded 
us  of  the  "  Petit  Caporal  "  and  of  Victor  Hugo's 
apostrophe  beginning  with  "  Encor  Napoleon, 
encor  sa  grande  visage !  "  Few  but  those  who  have 
closely  studied  the  innumerable  Napoleonic  histories 
and  legends  can  be  aware  that,  according  to  at  least 
one  French  chronicler,  the  great  military  genius  who 
died  on  "  the  lonely  rock  "  as  a  result  of  his  cancerous 
malady  had  amassed  enormous  wealth,  which,  it  was 
asserted,  came  under  two  headings — (i)  what  may  be 
termed  his  "  public  "  fortune  and  (2)  his  "  private  " 
fortune. 

It  is  recorded  that,  when  he  left  Paris  in  the  fatal 
month  of  June,  181 5,  he  deposited  in  stocks  at  Laffitte's 
Bank  about  ;^  240,000.  His  will  was  proved  in 
England,  the  French  Government  (Louis  XVHL 
being  then  King)  not  allowing  this  procedure  to  take 
place  in  France.  Among  the  delegates  were  MM.  de 
Montholon,  Bertrand  and  Marchand,  familiar  names; 
but  M.  Laffitte  gave  reasons  for  not  handing  any  of 
the  money  to  those  persons  or  to  any  others  interested 
in  the  will.  Laffitte  contended  that  Napoleon  Bona- 
parte, having  by  a  Royal  Decree  of  March  6,  1815, 
been  deprived  of  all  his  rights,  had  no  power  to  dis- 
pose of  his  fortune.  His  will,  therefore,  was  null  and 
void.     But  another  point  was  raised  :    the  will  was 


I90     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

signed  by  the  testator's  Christian  name  only,  "  Napo- 
leon," the  surname,  "  Bonaparte,"  being  omitted. 
The  securities  which  had  been  lodged  at  Laffitte's 
Bank  were  finally  deposited  in  the  Caisse  des  Depots 
et  Consignations  (Deposit  Bank). 

In  1837  Marie  Louise  abandoned  her  claim  upon  the 
estate;  but  the  Emperor's  will  was  not  settled  until 
seventeen  years  later  by  a  Decree  dated  Biarritz, 
August  5,  1854,  signed  by  Napoleon  III.  "  The 
budget  of  1854,"  declared  this  document,  "  is  charged 
with  an  extraordinary  credit  of  8,000,000  francs 
(^320,000),  with  a  view  to  carrying  out  the  testament- 
ary directions  of  our  August  Predecessor,  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  I."  Of  this  sum  £  160,000  went  in  legacies 
to  various  persons.  Napoleon  I.  left  to  his  son,  the 
Due  de  Reichstadt,  his  Austerlitz  sword,  gold  dressing- 
case,  decorations  and  other  souvenirs,,  but  the  Court 
of  Vienna  laid  its  grip  upon  all  of  them.  After  the 
young  Duke's  death,  however,  the  Vienna  Court 
divided  them  among  Napoleon's  brothers  and  sisters. 
Bertrand  secured  the  Austerlitz  sword  and  gave  it  to 
King  Louis  Philippe;  later  it  was  placed  in  the 
Tuileries. 

Mention  must  now  be  made,  but  very  briefly,  of  that 
"  private  "  fortune  of  Napoleon  I.  which  Dupin  has 
told  us  about.  That  Emperor  was  himself  an  econo- 
miser  of  the  truth ;  yet  he  is  credited  with  the  dictum  : 
"  History  is  a  lie  which  has  been  agreed  upon." 
At  no  time  more  than  now  has  it  been  advisable  to 
bear  this  saturnine  saying  in  mind.  Dupin  has  re- 
corded that  in  181 8 — three  years  after  the  battle  of 
Waterloo — the  sum  of  1 18,000,000  francs  (^4, 7  2 0,000), 
representing  Napoleon's  personal  estate,  was  "  paid 
into  the  Treasury  by  order  of  the  King."     It  is  added 


FABLED  WEALTH  OF  NAPOLEONS     191 

that  originally  the  "  estate  "  was  200,000,000  francs 
(^8,000,000),  but  in  some  way  not  explained  it  had  been 
reduced  to  the  more  modest  figure  above  mentioned. 
Dupin's  statement,  it  will  be  observed,  is  very  explicit : 
the  ;^ 4,720,000  was  actually  "  paid  into  the  Trea- 
sury." Other  authorities  declare  that  the  "  private 
fortune  "  was  non-existent — that  the  Emperor  only 
imagined  he  possessed  it,  and  that,  upon  investigation, 
no  assets  representing  any  part  of  this  personal  hoard 
were  discoverable.  There  seems  to  have  been  no 
mistake,  however,  about  the  sum  (^240,000) 
deposited  at  M.  Laffitte's  bank  or  that  mentioned 
in  the  Imperial  Decree  (;^ 320,000)  of  1854. 

As  with  the  Uncle,  so  with  the  Nephew  who  died 
so  unexpectedly  at  Chislehurst  in  the  first  month  of 
1873,  less  than  two  years  after  his  release  from  his 
palatial  "  prison  "  at  Wilhelmshohe,  where  he  had 
spent  seven  by  no  means  unhappy  months.  No  further 
back  than  1907  absurd  statements  as  to  the  wealth  of 
Napoleon  II L  appeared  in  the  English  papers,  copied 
from  a  Paris  journal.  It  was  affirmed  that  in  1866, 
four  years  before  the  great  debacle,  the  Emperor's 
balance  at  "  Barings  "  was  ;^ 933,000.  Now,  on 
October  25,  1870,  Messrs  Baring  Brothers  wrote  to 
the  "  Times,"  saying  :  "  At  no  time  have  we  made  any 
investments  for  account  of  the  Emperor,  and  we  do 
not  hold  any  stocks  or  objects  of  value  for  his 
account."  * 

The  late  Mr  Archibald  Forbes,  in  his  "  Life  of 
Napoleon  III.,"  gave  an  entirely  inaccurate  calcula- 
tion of  the  Emperor's  "  wealth,"  which  was  figured  at 
^882,000  in  1866  (the  year  quoted  by  the  Paris  paper 

*  Vide  "  The  Empress  Eugenie  :  1870 — 1910  "  for  full  details 
of  this  episode. 


192     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

in  1907).  This  information,  quite  illusory,  was  based 
upon  "  papers  found  in  the  Tuileries  after  the  fall  of 
the  Empire,"  including  "  a  document  which  was  a 
bank  statement  from  the  house  of  Baring  Brothers, 
of  London,  with  whom  Napoleon  III.  had  an  account." 
The  Empress's  "  enormous  wealth  "  has  been  made 
the  subject  of  much  ignorant  comment,  from  time  to 
time,  since  the  beginning  of  her  widowhood,  upwards 
of  forty-three  years  ago.  Those  are  very  few  in 
number  who  have  even  the  faintest  conception  of  the 
Imperial  lady's  means.  Even  the  late  Monsignor 
Goddard,  for  many  years  the  Empress's  almoner,  was 
totally  ignorant  on  this  point. 


CHAPTER  XX 

LORD  GRANVILLE  AND  THE  EMPRESS- 
LADY  COWLEY  VISITS  THE  CAPTIVE 
EMPEROR 

Lord  Granville  received  the  seals  of  the  Foreign 
Office  in  July,  1870,  when  Mr  (afterwards  Lord) 
Hammond  assured  him  that  there  was  not  a  cloud 
upon  the  European  horizon.  Yet  on  the  19th  of  the 
month  the  French  declaration  of  war  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Prussian  Government;  and  on  the  2nd  of 
August  hostilities  began  at  Saarbriicken  and  were 
witnessed  by  me.  Thirteen  years  before  the  war 
Lord  Granville,  accompanied  by  his  wife,  had  dined 
with  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  at  the  Tuileries,  and 
in  Lord  Fitzmaurice's  brilliantly  written  "  Life  "  * 
will  be  found  a  highly  entertaining  account  of  the 
event.  Lord  Granville,  writing  from  Paris  on  April 
8,  1857,  says: 

We  dined  with  the  Emperor  yesterday  evening.  I  sat  next 
to  the  Empress,  who  is  easy  to  get  on  with.  She  inquired 
of  me  what  sort  of  person  the  Empress  of  Russia  was.  I 
said  that  I  believed  that  she  was  clever  and  well  informed, 
but  that  I  had  never  heard  her  ask  anything  but  whether  one 
had  danced  much  at  the  last  ball.  "  Mais,  voyez-vous,"  said 
Eugenie,  "it  is  not  easy  always  to  find  questions  to  ask." 

I  had  a  long  talk  with  the  Emperor  in  the  evening.  He 
was  civil  and  pleasant,  looked  very  low,  and  is  evidently  much 

* "  The    Life    of   Granville    George    Leveson-Gower,    second 
Earl    Granville,     K.G.  :     1815—1891."       By     Lord     Edmond 
Fitzmaurice.     Two  vols.     Longmans,  Green  &  Co.     1905. 
N  193 


194     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

preoccupied  by  the  action  of  the  secret  societies  and  the  plots 
for  assassination.  He  has  a  vague  wish  to  resettle  Europe, 
and  thinks  it  might  be  done  by  a  cordial  understanding 
between  Russia,  England  and  France.  .  .  .  He  was  evidently, 
although  he  denies  it,  rather  taken  in  by  Dizzy,  I  recom- 
mended him  to  ask  "  Tamarang  "  [Lord  Malmesbury's  nick- 
name], who  is  coming  here,  what  he  thought  of  Dizzy,  and 
by  his  answers  to  judge  of  what  might  be  expected  in  the 
way  of  harmony  and  consistency  from  a  Tory  Government. 
He  declares  that  his  wish  is  to  see  Lord  Palmerston's  Govern- 
ment consolidated.   .   .   . 

The  evening  ended  by  a  lecture  on  table-turning,  etc.,  in 
which  the  Emperor  and  Empress  believe.  A  certain  Mr  Hume  * 
produces  hands,  raises  heavy  tables  four  feet  from  the  ground 
with  a  finger,  knocks  on  the  Emperor's  hand  from  a  distance. 
The  Emperor  is  rather  pleased  at  the  table  coming  more  to 
him  than  to  others ;  but  seeing  Lady  G.  and  me  look  incredu- 
lous, he  broke  off,  saying:  "They  think  us  mad,  and  Lord 
Granville  will  report  that  the  alliance  is  on  a  most  unstable 
footing."     Yours,  G. 

On  September  17,  1870,  Lord  Granville  wrote 
of  the  Empress  Eugenie  to  Sir  Henry  Ponsonby  : 
"  Her  misfortune  is  great,  although  it  is  much  owing 
to  herself  :  Mexico,  Rome,  war  with  Prussia."  Lord 
Fitzmaurice  thus  comments  on  this  sentence  :  "  In 
these  few  words  Lord  Granville  summed  up  the 
mixed  feelings  which  in  the  Empress  pitied  mis- 
fortune and  admired  undaunted  courage,  but  could 
not  entirely  forget  political  responsibility." 

The  Empress  was  now  at  Chislehurst.  "  The 
situation  thus  created  was  one  of  extreme  delicacy," 
says  Lord  Fitzmaurice,  who,  as  Under  Secretary 
of     State     for     Foreign     Affairs,     1882 — 1885     ^^^ 

*The  late  Daniel  Dunglass  Home  (pr.  "  Hume  "),  the 
spiritualist,  who  in  the  sixties  had  many  friends  in  London,  the 
present  Earl  of  Dunraven  and  the  late  Earl  of  Crawford  among 
others.     I  knew  Home  very  well. — Author. 


LORD  GRANVILLE  195 

1905 — 1908,  is  on  his  own  ground  when  dealing  with 
these  and  similar  knotty  points.  "  The  respect  due 
to  fallen  greatness,  especially  on  the  part  of  those 
who  had  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  the  Empire  in  the 
time  of  prosperity,  beckoned  one  way.  The  absolute 
necessity  that  the  Foreign  Minister  should  carefully 
abstain  from  appearing  too  much  en  rapport  with 
the  little  Court  of  the  exiled  Monarch  pointed  in  an 
opposite  direction,  for  Count  Bismarck  was  still  feeling 
his  way  in  regard  to  a  projected  restoration  of  the 
Imperial  Family  under  German  protection.  The 
idea  was  bitterly  resented  by  public  opinion  in 
England,  and  every  indication  of  it  was  jealously 
scrutinised  on  both  sides  of  the  Channel." 

During  the  captivity  of  Napoleon  III.  at  Wil- 
helmshohe  (September,  1870 — March,  1871)  he  was 
visited  by  Lady  Cowley,  an  event  thus  described 
by  her  husband  in  this  letter  to  Lord  Granville  : 

20  Albemarle  Street,  W., 
September  21,  1870. 
My  dear  Granville, — 

You  will  probably  have  seen  in  the  papers  that  Lady 
Cowley  has  been  to  see  the  Emperor,  and  you  may  like  to 
know  what  passed  on  the  occasion.  Of  course  there  is  no 
truth  in  the  report  that  she  went  with  a  message  from  the 
Empress ;  the  truth  being  that,  finding  herself  at  Frankfort, 
she  did  not  like  to  go  on  without  going  to  see  him. 

He  was  delighted  to  see  her,  but  quite  overcome  at  first. 
He  gave  her  an  account  of  all  his  proceedings — how  he  had 
been  deceived  both  in  regard  to  the  preparations  for  war,  and 
more  especially  with  regard  to  public  opinion.  He  said  that 
on  leaving  St  Cloud  for  the  army  he  had  believed  that  he  had 
never  been  more  popular,  that  the  ovation  prepared  for  his 
departure  was  such  that  it  would  have  taken  him  hours  to  go 
through  Paris  had  he  attempted  it.  He  described  the  total 
demoralisation  of  the  troops  on  meeting  with  their  first  check; 


196     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

how  he  was  pressed  to  give  up  the  command,  and  his  desire  to 
have  retired  upon  Paris  with  the  army  of  Chalons,  when  he 
thought  he  might  have  saved  the  dynasty,  but  he  was  over- 
ruled by  the  Regency. 

When  he  came  to  describe  the  battle  of  Sedan  his  feelings 
gave  way  completely.  The  scenes  he  went  through  were, 
he  said,  quite  harrowing.  He  speaks  in  the  most  grateful 
terms  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  whom  he  describes  as  much 
more  ^mu  than  himself  at  their  famous  interview.  Every- 
thing was  done  to  spare  his  feelings.  It  is  not  true  that  he 
was  purposely  taken  through  the  Prussian  troops.  He  wished 
to  avoid  seeing  his  own  troops  prisoners.  His  admiration 
of  the  Prussian  system,  etc.,  .is  boundless.  He  drove  through 
miles  of  them  on  his  way  from  Sedan,  and  he  describes  them 
to  have  looked  as  if  upon  parade.  Lady  Cowley  says  that 
he  looks  ill,  and  he  suffers  from  the  cold  of  Wilhelmshohe. 
He  can  hold  no  communication  with  anyone  except  by  per- 
mission, and  all  letters  pass  through  the  Prussian  authorities 
there.  The  suite  told  Lady  Cowley  that  he  cannot  stir  beyond 
the  grounds,  as  he  is  at  once  exposed  to  insult,  and  it  seems 
that  his  journey  through  Germany  was  most  disagreeable, 
as  he  was  hooted  and  jeered  at  wherever  he  stopped.  Lady 
Cowley  thinks  that  he  has  not  abandoned  all  hope  of  being 
reinstated.  The  suite  are  less  sanguine,  but  hope  that  the 
dynasty  may  be  preserved.  ...  I  should  add  that  the  few 
French  soldiers  whom  Lady  Cowley  met  on  the  road  are  loud 
in  their  execrations  of  their  late  master.     Sincerely  yours, 

Cowley. 

Another  surviving  personage  to  whom  we  are 
happily  introduced  in  this  entrancing  "  Life  "  of 
the  eminent  statesman  who  served  his  country  so  long 
and  so  well  is  the  widowed  Duchesse  de  Mouchy, 
who,  as  I  have  noted  in  another  chapter,  is  the  oldest 
living  friend  of  the  Empress.  During  the  autumn  of 
that  fateful  year  she  was  residing  in  London  and, 
of  course,  paid  frequent  visits  to  the  Empress  at 
Chislehurst.  Lord  Granville,  we  now  learn,  wrote 
to  her  as  follows  : — 


LORD  GRANVILLE  197 

Walmer  Castle, 

October  22,  1870. 
My  dear  Madame  de  Mouchy, — 

Gladstone  expressed  yesterday  his  regrets  to  me  that 
partly  from  his  absence  from  London,  and  partly  from  the 
slight  personal  acquaintance  he  has  the  honour  of  having 
with  the  Empress  of  the  French,  he  had  not  had  any  opportunity 
of  paying  any  mark  of  respect  to  her  Imperial  Majesty. 

I  told  him  that  I  had  taken  the  opportunity  of  a  dispatch 
concerning  the  Emperor  to  write  to  her  Majesty,  and  had 
received  a  most  gracious  answer,  and  that  I  believed  the 
Empress  wa^  quite  aware  through  you  that  personally  I  was 
completely  at  her  Majesty's  orders. 

That  I  had  told  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  and  Prince  Arthur 
that,  although  her  Majesty  declined  all  general  visits,  I  was 
sure  that  it  would  not  be  disagreeable  to  her  to  receive 
members  of  the  Royal  Family. 

That  I  had  not  asked  for  an  audience  because  it  was 
possible  that,  if  granted  to  an  official  person,  it  might  at  this 
particular  moment  be  misconstrued  both  as  regards  the  Empress 
and  the  Minister. 

Pray  tell  me  your  opinion  of  my  conversation.  Yours 
sincerely,  Granville. 

These  valuable  and  deeply  interesting  documents 
had  never  seen  the  light  until  they  appeared  in  Lord 
Fitzmaurice's  masterly  "  Life  "  of  Lord  Granville, 
nor  will  they  be  found  in  any  other  subsequently 
published  work,  and  I  hasten  to  express  my  gratitude 
to  the  noble  lord  and  to  his  publishers,  Messrs 
Longmans,  Green  &  Co.,  for  so  generously  allowing 
me  to  reproduce  them  here. 

Mr  Gladstone's  meetings  with  Napoleon  IIL  and 
the  Empress  are  referred  to  by  Lord  Morley,  in  his 
*'  Life  "    of   the    famous    Liberal    statesman.  *      In 

*"The  Life  of  William  Ewart  Gladstone."  By  John 
Morley.  Three  vols.  London  :  Macmillan  &  Co.  Limited. 
New  York  :  The  Macmillan  Company.     1903. 


198     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

1866  Mr  Gladstone  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
French  Institute,  and  in  the  following  year  he 
attended  the  funeral  of  the  well-known  M.  Victor 
Cousin,  of  whom  it  had  been  said  (writes  Lord  Morley) 
"  that  three  days  in  the  week  he  was  absurd,  three 
days  mediocre  and  one  day  sublime." 

On  the  27th  of  January,  1867,  Mr  Gladstone  dined 
with  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress,  and  on  the  next 
day  with  M.  Rouher.  Mr  Gladstone  wrote  :  "  Dined 
at  the  Tuileries,  and  was  surprised  at  the  extreme 
attention  and  courtesy  of  both  their  Majesties,  with 
whom  I  had  much  interesting  conversation." 

Lord  Morley  writes:  "15th  July,  1870. — At  a 
quarter  past  four  (says  a  colleague,  Mr  Grant  Duff) 
a  Cabinet  box  was  handed  down  the  Treasury  bench 
to  Mr  Gladstone.  He  opened  it,  and  looking  along 
to  us  said,  with  an  accent  I  shall  never  forget,  '  War 
declared  against  Prussia.'  " 

An  interview  which  Mr  Gladstone  had  with  the 
Empress  Eugenie  in  England  some  four  months 
after  the  Emperor's  death  is  thus  noted  by  Lord 
Morley:  "On  May  19,  1873,  Mr  Gladstone  wrote 
to  the  Queen :  '  Mr  Gladstone  had  an  interview 
yesterday  at  Chislehurst  with  the  Empress.  He 
thought  her  Majesty  much  thinner  and  more  worn 
than  last  year,  but  she  showed  no  want  of  energy  in 
conversation.  Her  Majesty  showed  much  interest  and 
a  little  anxiety  about  the  coming  examination  of  the 
Prince,  her  son,  at  Woolwich.'  " 

When,  in  1880,  Parliament  was  asked  to  sanction 
a  vote  of  money  for  a  memorial  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
in  Westminster  Abbey  a  Radical  member  *  brought 
forward    a   motion   against    it.     Lord    Morley   says : 

*  Mr  Briggs. 


LORD  GRANVILLE  199 

"  Both  Mr  Gladstone  and  Sir  Stafford  Northcote 
resisted  him,  yet  by  a  considerable  majority  the 
Radical  carried  his  point.  The  feeling  was  so  strong 
among  the  Ministerialists  that,  notwithstanding  Mr 
Gladstone's  earnest  exhortation,  they  voted  almost 
to  a  man  against  him,  and  he  only  carried  into  the 
lobby  ten  official  votes  on  the  Treasury  bench." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

OUR  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  "LITTLE  PRINCE" 

Those  who  knew  him  best  have  written  the  following 
lines  in  memory  of  their  friend  : 

June — ]idy,  1879. 

As  we  pass  through  the  great  iron  gate,  along  the 
avenue,  and  so,  crossing  the  gravelled  space  in  front 
of  Camden  Place,  into  the  House,  what  a  host  of 
memories  arise!  It  is  the  year  1871.  The  Emperor 
arrives  from  Wilhelmshohe — the  Emperor,  exiled, 
crushed,  his  ambition  beaten  out  of  him :  a  sad, 
silent,  mysterious  man.  Years  later.  A  January 
night,  with  the  rain  driven  into  your  face.  The 
great  House  as  sadly-quiet  as  the  grave.  The  inmates 
walk  noiselessly,  as  though  fearful  lest  their  lightest 
step  should  waken  him  who  is  lying  so  still  up  in  that 
little  bedroom,  lighted  by  two  huge  tapers.  You 
hardly  dare  breathe  as  a  servant  turns  the  handle  of 
the  door  of  that  room  and  bids  you  enter.  By  the 
bedside  kneel  two  women  praying.  Your  heart  stands 
still  as  you  see  what  is  on  the  bed — a  cold,  stiff  figure, 
with  a  crucifix  on  its  breast.  Hush !  do  not  break 
the  death-silence.     Caesar  lies  there. 

A  cold  spring  day,  and  we  are  grouped  on  the  lawn 
— a  goodly  concourse.  A  slim  boy  speaks;  his 
words  sway  the  throng,  and  when  he  waves  a  tricolour 
in  the  chill  air  he  is  greeted  with  shouts  of  "  Vive 
I'Empereur!  "     "Vive  Napoleon  Quatre !  " 

7,00 


TRIBUTE  TO  THE  LITTLE  PRINCE     201 

The  years  pass,  and  the  boy,  now  grown  to  man's 
estate,  fired  with  a  desire  to  distinguish  himself,  sets 
out  for  Africa.  He  has  embarked  upon  a  bold 
emprise,  and  when  he  returns,  flushed  with  the 
glory  of  success,  and  falls  upon  his  weeping  mother's 
breast,  even  his  enemies  will  rejoice,  and,  borrowing 
the  Empress's  phrase,  will  at  least  acclaim  him 
"  un  honnete  homme."  That  will  be  a  glad  day  for 
the  Empress-mother !  When  the  victorious  troops 
defile  before  the  Queen  at  Windsor  no  face  will  glow 
more  brightly  than  Prince  Louis  Napoleon's — Royal 
smiles  will  be  lavished  upon  him,  and  all  France  will 
read  the  chronicle  with  admiration. 

The  morning  is  that  of  Friday,  the  20th  of  June; 
the  scene,  Chislehurst. 

The  sun  shines,  the  birds  sing,  the  supple  branches 
bend  in  the  wind,  the  gorse  gleams  golden  bright. 
All  is  calm  and  peaceful.  The  balm  and  the  sweet- 
ness of  Life  are  upon  everything. 

In  that  great,  grim  house  fronting  the  common,  the 
scene  of  the  Ninth  of  January  One  Thousand  Eight 
Hundred  and  Seventy-Three  is  repeating  itself,  but 
with  a  dull  intensity.  The  beautiful  Empress  is  a 
pitiable  sight,  and  the  electric  wires  are  throbbing  with 
the  message,  "  The  Prince  Imperial  is  dead !  " 

All  is  over.  It  is  idle  to  weep  and  wring  the 
hands.  The  light  is  quenched  for  ever;  the  young 
life  has  winged  its  way  back  to  God,  leaving  the 
whole  world  appalled  and  horror-stricken,  one  mighty 
Empire  widowed  and  desolate,  and  a  mother's  heart 
broken  and  crushed  for  ever.  The  catastrophe  is  so 
hideous,  so  overwhelming,  so  unnatural,  that  one 
cannot  realise  it  fully  yet.  The  truth  may  come 
upon  us  perhaps  in  its  full  horror  when  we  see  the 


202     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

coffin  which  contains  the  mangled  remains  of  the  grand 
Boy-Prince  and  Emperor  who  lost  his  life  for 
England.  "  When  will  his  glory  fade?  "  Never, 
God  willing,  never !  Years  hence,  when  we  who  now 
write  and  you  who  now  read  shall  have  passed  even 
beyond  the  reach  of  memory,  the  story  will  be  told 
how  a  young  lad,  who  was  the  Emperor  of  a  great 
people,  but  who  was  kept  out  of  his  inheritance  by 
a  foul  conspiracy  set  on  foot  for  their  own  base 
purposes  by  the  most  malignant  and  unprincipled 
political  adventurers;  how,  we  say,  this  noble  boy 
generously  offered  to  risk  his  life  in  return  for  the 
paltry  hospitality  given  him  (as  it  is  given  to  the 
lowest  refugee)  by  England;  how  he  lost  it;  and 
how  his  death  ruined  a  great  people  and  broke  the 
truest  and  most  tender  heart  that  ever  beat  in  the 
bosom  of  a  Sovereign  lady.  Boys  will  hear  this  tale 
told  years  hence,  and  endeavour  to  picture  to  them- 
selves how  the  young  hero  looked,  and  the  tone  of 
his  voice,  and  his  gestures,  and  habits,  as  we  now  try 
to  imagine  how  Nelson,  Marlborough  or  Prince 
Rupert  may  have  really  been  in  the  flesh.  It  will  not 
be  given  them,  as  it  has  been  given  us,  to  recall  the 
sweet  tones  of  that  voice  which  is  stilled  to  mortal 
ears  for  ever,  but  which  is  now  singing  hymns  in 
the  praise  and  glory  of  God  as  an  angel ;  it  will  not 
be  given  them  to  know  the  merry  laughter  which  we 
shall  hear  never  again;  it  will  not  be  given  them  to 
know  the  half-laughing,  half-tender  glance  coming 
from  those  eyes  which  are  now  closed  in  death,  and 
which  were  incapable  of  expressing  aught  save 
innocent  mirth,  or  sympathy  and  affection.  The 
children  yet  unborn  who  will  read  of  the  tragedy  in 
Zululand  on  the  ist  of  June,  1879,  will  never  be  able 


TRIBUTE  TO  THE  LITTLE  PRINCE     203 

to  picture  to  themselves  the  dead  young  Prince 
Martyr  as  he  really  was,  the  beau-ideal  of  what  a 
gentleman,  an  emperor,  and  a  Christian  should  be, 
the  sweetest  rose  in  youth's  garden,  the  very  type  of 
a  hero  and  a  martyr.  It  has  been  given  us  to  know 
him,  and  to  speak  to  him,  and  to  touch  his  hand  and 
hear  his  voice,  and  knowing  as  we  do  that  he  is  now 
an  angel  as  surely  as  he  was  a  hero,  this  fact 
emboldens  us  to  say  a  few  words  in  memory  of  him 
who  was  the  Hope  of  France,  the  pride,  prop  and 
only  son  of  one  of  the  noblest  ladies  the  nineteenth 
century  has  seen,  and  one  who  possessed  that  Divine 
glory— 

The  splendour  of  a  spirit  without  blame. 

The  story,  like  all  great  stories,  and  like  all 
sublime  things,  is  a  simple  one.  It  seems  but 
yesterday  that  he  was  born,  and  that  the  cannon  told 
expectant  France  that  there  was  promise  and  hope 
of  glory  and  peace,  insomuch  as  God  had  vouchsafed 
to  give  a  son  and  heir  to  Napoleon  III.  It  seems, 
alas !  as  if  children  who  have  been  prayed  for,  and 
ardently  longed  for,  are,  as  it  were,  almost  robbed 
from  Heaven,  and  that  God,  when  He  discovers  the 
theft,  takes  back  the  treasure  to  Himself  again. 
It  was  so  with  the  son  of  the  First  Napoleon,  and  it 
has  been  so  with  the  son  of  the  Third.  What  man 
of  forty  does  not  remember  how  all  France  longed 
for  the  Empress  to  have  a  son  and  heir  to  perpetuate 
the  dynasty;  and  who  cannot  recall  the  unanimous 
exultation  which  greeted  the  glad  tidings  that  the 
Empress  had  been  delivered  of  a  male  child  on  the 
1 6th  day  of  March,  1856?  His  childhood  was  the 
ordinary  childhood  of  princes;    in  his  case  there  was, 


304     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

perhaps,  more  splendour  and  glory  than  in  most; 
but  what  most  assuredly  marked  him  out  as  one 
different  from  his  kind  was  the  frank,  fearless,  loving, 
generous,  tender,  noble  and  sympathetic  spirit  which 
he  gave  proof  of  even  from  the  very  beginning. 

There  is  no  place  for  anecdote  before  the  open 
tomb  of  this  murdered  boy;  but  we  cannot  refrain 
from  quoting  the  words  of  one  who  knew  the  Prince 
Imperial  well  in  his  early  childhood.  "  His  tender- 
ness of  heart,"  so  says  this  true  witness,  "  was 
so  extraordinary  as  to  be  almost  morbid.  Most 
children  are  carelessly  cruel  at  times,  especially  boys. 
The  Prince  Imperial  was  never  so;  he  would  not 
have  hurt  a  fly,  and  would  readily  have  given  his 
jacket  to  protect  a  beggar  from  the  cold."  So  the 
time  passed  on,  partly  in  splendid  gaiety  and  partly 
in  no  less  splendid  charity,  and  the  Second  Empire 
sang  its  song  of  love  and  glory  to  the  French  people. 
The  Terrible  Year  came,  war  was  declared,  and 
the  young  Prince  accompanied  his  father  to  the 
front.  We  will  not  dwell  upon  the  horrors  of  that 
campaign,  or  tell  how  the  young  Prince  was  so 
affected,  not  by  the  sense  of  danger,  for  he  never 
knew  what  fear  was,  but  by  pity  for  the  suffering  he 
saw  around  him,  that  his  nerves  received  a  shock  from 
which  they  never  recovered;  he  would  wake  up 
at  night  months  after,  screaming  that  he  saw  men 
dying,  and  longing  to  get  to  them  to  save  them. 
"  Ces  pauvres  soldats !  ces  pauvres  soldats !  "  was 
his  cry.  How  many  soldiers'  eyes  were  dry,  think 
you,  when  they  read  that  this  gallant  boy  had  met  a 
soldier's  death  ? 

Then  came  exile,  and  then  the  greatest  sorrow 
his  young  life  ever  knew — the  death  of  his  father. 


TRIBUTE  TO  THE  LITTLE  PRINCE     205 

This  almost  killed  him,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
strong  mind  of  the  Empress,  the  little  Prince — 
"  le  petit  Prince,"  as  he  ever  will  be  affectionately- 
termed — would  probably  have  lost  his  reason  or  his 
life,  perhaps  both.  Her  Majesty,  however  (in  this 
case  the  tender  love  of  a  mother  being  strengthened 
and  sharpened  by  the  wit  and  intelligence  of  one 
of  the  most  extraordinarily  intellectual  women  of  her 
age),  saved  her  darling  from  death  and  insanity, 
and  by  degrees  brought  him  back  to  life,  and  hope, 
and  courage.  How  he  distinguished  himself  at 
Woolwich  is  known  to  all.  There  was  no  favouritism 
shown  him ;  he  was  treated  like  any  other  cadet,  and 
simply  passed  a  brilliant  examination  as  any  other 
clever  lad  might  have  done.  The  sneers  in  the  French 
revolutionary  broad-sheets  are  powerless  against  the 
calm  proof  and  evidence  given  by  the  examination 
papers  and  the  answers  appended.  There  ensued 
a  period  of  restless  inactivity.  The  young  eagle 
could  not  bear  the  idea  of  not  trying  his  pinions. 
He  was  restless  at  Chislehurst,  restless  at  Arenenberg, 
restless  at  Florence.  He  was  naturally  pure-minded, 
and  abhorred  coarse  dissipation,  so  that  many  of 
the  temptations  which  usually  beset  youths  of  his 
rank  were  powerless  to  allure  or  attract  him. 

When  the  Zulu  War  broke  out,  from  the  very  first 
his  desire  was  to  go  out  to  the  Cape  and  fight. 
"  The  right  place  for  an  Emperor  is  the  field  of 
battle !  "  he  exclaimed  on  one  occasion  to  a  friend 
of  ours.  For  a  long  time  the  influence  of  his  mother 
and  friends  kept  him  from  risking  his  precious  life; 
but  when  tidings  reached  him  of  the  reverses  of  the 
British  arms,  and  when  the  tales  of  heroism  came  to 
his  ears,  he  laughed  prudence,  the  advice  of  friends, 


2o6     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

and  the  entreaties  of  his  august  mother  to  scorn,  and 
set  out  to  win  glory — with  life,  if  possible ;  if  not, 
with  death.  What  took  place  in  Africa  from  the  time 
of  his  arrival  up  to  the  time  of  his  glorious  death 
we  know  but  little  of  as  yet,  except  that  there,  as  at 
Woolwich  and  everywhere  else  where  he  was  brought 
in  familiar  contact  and  intercourse  with  his  fellow- 
men,  he  was  admired,  and,  what  is  more,  beloved. 
Then  the  end  came.  Although  we  know  God  must 
be  always  good.  He  seems  sometimes  so  cruel,  does 
He  not?  Why  take  the  "little  Prince"  ?  The 
rich  man  had  exceeding  many  flocks  and  herds;  but 
the  poor  man  had  nothing  save  one  little  ewe  lamb, 
which  he  had  brought  and  nourished  up.  Why 
was  her  one  little  ewe  lamb  taken — her  all,  the  one 
hope  of  his  country,  who  would  have  grown  into 
a  lion  and  defended  poor,  desolate  France.'^  One 
does  not  dare  imagine  what  may  be  taking  place  now 
at  Chislehurst.  There  are  misery  and  anguish  so  great 
that  neither  human  tongue  nor  pen  can  tell  of  it. 
Think  of  the  thousand  recollections  that  must  come 
back  to  her,  when  the  few  trivial  recollections  that 
come  back  to  us  force  us  to  wipe  the  eyes !  Think 
of  the  great  cruelty  of  past  tenderness  which  is  now 
being  revealed  to  this  stricken  mother  in  her  loneliness 
and  widowhood ! 

How  often 
Have  we  done  this  for  one  another  !     Now 
We  shall  not  do  it  any  more. 

But  enough;  we  are  treading  on  sacred  ground. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  "  the  poor  "  woman  who  had 
nothing  save  one  little  ewe  lamb  has  been  bereft  of 
this  one  and  only  treasure,  and  that  there  is  one  who 


TRIBUTE  TO  THE  LITTLE  PRINCE     207 

not  many  years  ago  was  the  first  lady  in  civilised 
Europe,  Empress  by  beauty,  grace,  wit  and  rank, 
who  is  now  waiting  for  death  at  Camden  Place, 
Chislehurst.  For  him  it  is  well  he  has  met  a  soldier's 
death,  has  fallen  gloriously,  aye,  "  covered  with 
glory,"  and  has  gone  to  join  his  father;  do  not  pity 
him,  but  pity  her  and  pity  France. 

But  again,  there  is  more  to  be  said.  Ought  he  to 
have  died  thus.^  Lord  Chelmsford  assures  us,  and 
we  must  believe  him,  that  he  had  no  idea  his 
Imperial  Highness  had  gone  out  on  this  reconnaissance. 
Be  it  so;  but  is  not  this  very  confession  most  damn- 
able? Ought  he  not  to  have  known,  and  would 
he  not  have  known,  had  it  been  one  of  our  Gracious 
Majesty's  sons?  Think  you  the  Duke  of  Connaught 
or  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  would  have  been  allowed 
to  risk  his  life  in  this  way,  following  a  mere  boyish 
caprice?  And  if  he  had,  what  think  you  the  Queen 
would  have  said  when  the  news  reached  her  that  her 
son's  body  had  been  found  hacked  and  mutilated  with 
eighteen  wounds?  Let  these  words  be  well  weighed 
in  Downing  Street  and  at  Windsor,  as  they  surely  will 
be  at  Chislehurst.  It  is  sad  to  disgrace  an  officer 
and  a  nobleman,  but  it  is  also  sad  to  kill  a  boy  by 
negligence  and  destroy  the  whole  hope  of  a  country. 
Was  not  the  Prince  Imperial  doubly,  trebly  sacred 
to  us?  Was  he  not  a  foreign  prince  fighting  for  us 
of  his  own  accord,  and  above  all  was  he  not  a  mere 
boy,  the  hope  of  his  country  ?  We  do  not  wish  to  be 
unjust  either  to  Lord-Chelm^fard-or  to  the  comrades 
of  the  dear  Martyr  Prince  who  ran  away  and  left 
him  to  die  like  a  dog,  merely  "  looking  back  "  when 
all  was  over;  but  we  would  ask  what  the  British 
public  would  have  said  if  the  life  of  one  of  the  Queen's 


2o8     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

sons  had  been  risked  thus,  and  if  we  read  that 
his  comrades  had  thought  more  of  their  own  lives  than 
of  his?  All  is  over,  however,  and  it  is  perhaps  as 
well,  after  all,  that  the  only  tribute  laid  on  the  tomb 
of  the  Martyr  Prince  should  be  the  tears  of  a  whole 
nation  and  the  broken  heart  of  his  widowed  and 
desolate  mother. 

Since  the  commencement  of  the  ill-fated  war  in 
Zululand  tragic  events  have  crowded  thickly  on  one 
another;  but  the  latest  and  saddest  shock  has  roused 
the  pulse  of  nations  in  one  generous  throb  of  sympathy. 
Every  tender  heart  turns  with  unfeigned  pity  to  the 
thought  of  that  lonely,  mourning  figure,  who  sits 
fur-wrapped  yet  shivering  under  the  icy  touch  of 
despair,  an  uncrowned  widowed  lady  bereft  of  all 
that  makes  life  worth  the  living.  It  is  but  a  few 
short  weeks  ago  that  the  joyous  lad,  full  of  eager 
hopes  and  bright  anticipations,  kissed  his  fond 
mother's  brow,  whispering  gay  promises  and  comfort; 
and  already  the  clear,  honest  eyes  are  closed  in  death, 
the  limbs  lie  stark  and  cold,  the  voice  is  dumb 
for  ever.  Seldom,  indeed,  do  we  behold  a  young 
man  more  full  of  promise,  of  a  purer  life,  a  nobler 
character,  and  it  is  the  very  uselessness  of  the  sacrifice 
that  rushes  with  fresh  vehemence  into  our  thoughts. 
Though  an  alien  in  fact.  Prince  Napoleon  was  a 
thorough  Englishman  at  heart;  full  of  the  martial 
ardour  which  was  the  salient  characteristic  of  his 
family,  he  yearned  to  stand  beside  his  comrades  in 
arms,  and  when  the  wish  was  granted  him,  in  England's 
service  he  fell. 

It  is  not  the  fitting  moment  to  ask  whether  British 
soldiers  clung  to  old  traditions  when  they  fled  and 
left  behind  them  a  comrade,  heedless  of  the  horrible 


TRIBUTE  TO  THE  LITTLE  PRINCE     209 

doom  that  awaited  him,  nor  whether  it  was  not  an 
unpardonable  breach  of  courtesy  thus  to  needlessly 
expose  the  valuable  life  entrusted  to  our  care  by  a 
devoted  mother ;  suffice  it  that  the  brave  young  fellow 
died  a  soldier's  death,  and  that  his  blameless  life 
and  untimely  end  have  filled  all  men  with  admiration 
and  regret.  Born  in  the  purple,  hurled  by  one 
vicissitude  after  another  from  glorious  and  giddy 
heights  of  power  into  the  position  of  a  private 
individual,  the  hopes  of  France  yet  centred  in  his 
life,  and  on  the  pale,  serious  youth,  lithe  in  figure 
and  intelligent  of  aspect,  hung  the  possible  existence 
of  an  empire.  From  the  quiet  shades  of  retirement, 
where  the  Empress  lived  a  calm  and  dignified  life, 
reports  spread  abroad  of  the  Prince's  studious  habits, 
of  his  soldier-like,  abstemious  tastes,  of  his  pre- 
dilection for  that  branch  of  military  science  his 
father  had  affected,  of  his  simple  occupations  and  his 
fresh  healthy  mind.  Keenly  affectionate,  and  of 
an  emotional  nature,  the  boy  grew  up  with  the  ten- 
derest  respect  for  his  father,  the  most  chivalrous 
devotion  to  his  mother,  and  filled  with  the  burning 
desire  to  serve  the  best  interests  of  France.  His 
companions  at  Woolwich  never  tired  of  speaking 
well  of  him,  of  admiring  his  proficiency  in  their 
mutual  studies,  or  commenting  on  his  quickness  and 
dexterity  in  games.  Alas !  that  so  bright  a  promise 
should  have  been  clouded  so  early,  and  the  sad  cloud 
which  seemed  to  have  lifted  somewhat  off  his  Royal 
mother's  life  have  settled  down  in  gloomier  and 
more  permanent  shadow.  The  loss  of  a  favourite 
child  is  a  blow  hard  to  bear  at  all  times,  but  the 
shattering  of  all  earthly  prospects,  the  removal  of 
every  object  of  desire  and  incentive  to  exertion,  is. 


2IO     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

indeed,  a  lot  so  terrible  as  fortunately  to  be  far  from 
common. 

The  chequered  history  of  the  Bonapartes  reads 
almost  like  some  wild  romance,  culminating,  as  it 
does,  after  troublous  scenes  of  war,  ambition  and 
conquest,  in  the  death,  grand  in  its  simple  solitude, 
of  the  last  and  youngest  of  the  race  in  a  foreign 
country  among  savages,  whither  the  indomitable 
spirit  of  his  ancestors  had  led  him  in  search  of 
adventure  and  heroic  exploit.  For  him  we  cannot 
grieve ;  he  died  the  death  he  would  have  chosen — the 
fitting  crown  of  a  pure  and  blameless  life;  the  sur- 
vivors rather  it  is  who  demand  our  heartfelt  sympathy. 
The  Empress  has  borne  her  sorrows  with  true 
Christian  resignation,  has  been  so  beloved  in  the 
adopted  country  of  her  exile,  has  proved  herself 
of  so  noble  and  unrepining  a  spirit,  that  all  England 
must  share  in  her  grief  and  pour  forth  abundant 
tears.  To  comfort  the  inconsolable  is  impossible, 
to  rouse  interest  where  there  are  no  interests  is  a 
herculean  task;  profound  and  respectful  sympathy 
is  all  that  the  most  devoted  can  offer.  Words  are 
powerless  to  remove  her  anguish;  time  alone  can 
blunt  the  edge  of  sorrow  such  as  hers.  There 
are,  at  least,  no  stings  of  remorse  or  blame  to 
add  to  her  misery;  the  memory  of  her  young  son 
will  stand  out  through  all  ages  sweet  and  wholesome, 
pregnant  with  great  possibilities,  untarnished  by  a 
single  speck  of  dishonesty  or  failure.  Such  lives, 
short  as  they  are,  profitless  as  they  may  seem,  are 
not  wasted — they  point  a  moral  and  leave  a  name  in 
the  pages  of  history  for  succeeding  posterity  to 
mark  and  profit  by.  The  period  of  youth  is  a  time 
of    trial,    temptation    and    too    frequently    of    vice. 


TRIBUTE  TO  THE  LITTLE  PRINCE     211 

The  Prince  Imperial  was  spared  all  this;  his  spotless 
soul  has  returned  to  its  Maker  guileless  and  faithful. 
He  had  a  noble  task  to  perform,  and  he  did  it  well. 
"  He  was  the  only  son  of  his  mother,  and  she  was 
a  widow." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

"  IDENTIFYING  "  THE  PRINCE  IMPERIAL 

When  the  Prince  Imperial  decided  to  go  to  the  Cape 
in  order  to  witness,  not,  as  was  popularly  believed, 
to  take  part  in,  the  operations  of  our  troops  in  the 
Zululand  campaign,  H.R.H.  the  Duke  of  Cambridge, 
then  Field-Marshal  Commanding-in-Chief,  wrote  the 
subjoined  letters  to  Sir  Bartle  Frere  and  to  General 
Lord  Chelmsford : — 

February  2e,th,  1879. 
My  dear  Sir  Bartle  Frere, — 

I  am  anxious  to  make  you  acquainted  with  the 
Prince  Imperial,  who  is  about  to  proceed  to  Natal 
by  to-morrow's  packet  to  see  as  much  as  he  can  of  the 
coming  campaign  in  Zululand  in  the  capacity  of  a  spectator. 
He  was  anxious  to  serve  in  our  army,  having  been  a  cadet  at 
Woolwich,  but  the  Government  did  not  think  that  this  could 
be  sanctioned.  But  no  objection  is  made  to  his  going  out  on 
his  own  account,  and  I  am  permitted  to  introduce  him  to  you 
and  to  Lord  Chelmsford,  in  the  hope,  and  with  my  personal 
request,  that  you  will  give  him  every  help  in  your  power  to 
enable  him  to  see  what  he  can.  I  have  written  to  Chelmsford 
to  the  same  effect.  He  is  a  charming  young  man,  full  of 
spirit  and  energy,  speaking  English  admirably,  and  the  more 
you  see  of  him  the  more  you  will  like  him.  He  has  many 
young  friends  in  the  Artillery,  and  so  I  doubt  not,  with  your 
and  Chelmsford's  kind  assistance,  he  will  get  on  well  enough. 
I  remain,  my  dear  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  yours  most  sincerely, 

George. 

February  2^th,  1879. 
My  dear  Chelmsford, — 

This    letter    will   be    presented  to    you    by   the   Prince 
Imperial,  who  is  going  out  on  his  own  account  to  see  as  much 

212 


IDENTIFYING  THE  PRINCE  213 

as  he  can  of  the  coming  campaign  in  Zululand.  He  is 
extremely  anxious  to  go  out,  and  wanted  to  be  employed  in 
our  army,  but  the  Government  did  not  consider  that  this  could 
be  sanctioned,  but  have  sanctioned  my  writing  to  you  and  to 
Sir  Bartle  Frere  to  say  that  if  you  can  show  him  kindness 
and  render  him  "assistance  to  see  as  much  as  he  can  with  the 
columns  in  the  field,  I  hope  you  will  do  so.  He  is  a  fine 
young  fellow,  full  of  spirit  and  pluck,  and,  having  many  old 
Cadet  friends  in  the  Royal  Artillery,  he  will  doubtless  find  no 
difficulty  in  getting  on,  and  if  you  can  help  him  in  any  other 
way,  pray  do  so.  My  only  anxiety  on  his  account  would  be 
that  he  is  too  plucky  and  go-head.  I  remain,  my  dear  Chelms- 
ford, yours  most  sincerely,  George. 

The  Duke's  letters  were  read  by  him  in  the  House 
of  Lords.  A  letter  from  Queen  Victoria  to  the  Duke 
was  first  published  in  the  "  Memoir  of  the  Private 
Life  of  George  Duke  of  Cambridge,"  edited  by  the 
Rev.  Canon  Edgar  Sheppard,  Dean  of  the  Chapels 
Royal,  and  issued  by  Longmans,  Green  &  Co.  in 
December,  1906.  *  These  frank  memoirs  of  the 
illustrious  Duke  supply  many  missing  links  in  the 
story  of  the  Prince  Imperial.  Thus  Canon  Sheppard 
writes  (vol.  ii.,  p.  68) : 

Among  those  who  were  eager  to  take  part  in  the  campaign 
which  was  to  wash  out  the  stain  of  Isandlana  was  the  young 
Prince  Imperial.  .  .  .  There  were  many  reasons  why  he 
should  desire  to  see  active  service  in  the  field.  Young,  high- 
spirited  and  intrepid  to  the  point  of  recklessness,  he  chafed 
at  the  inactivity  which  the  circumstances  of  his  exile  entailed, 
and  was  all  on  fire  for  the  intoxicating  excitement  of  actual 
war.  Perhaps,  too,  through  the  smoke  of  the  battlefield  he 
saw  some  dim  vision  of  gallant  deeds  performed  and  fair 
fame  won,  which  should  make  his  name  glorious  in  France, 
and  win  back  for  his  family  the  Crown  so  lately  lost.     What- 

*  The  reverend  editor  gracefully  acknowledges  his  indebted- 
ness to  Queen  Mary  for  revising  the  proofs  of  his  volumes. 


214     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

ever  his  motives,  the  Prince  Imperial  lost  no  time  in  making 
his  wishes  known  to  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  who,  in  turn, 
was  able  to  assure  him  that  the  Government  would  set  no 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  going  out  as  a  volunteer  attached 
to  the  staff  of  Lord  Chelmsford. 

As  it  is  this  episode  in  his  brief  career  which  has 
enshrined  the  memory  of  the  Prince  Imperial  in  all 
hearts,  I  dwell  upon  it  in  some  detail ;  more  especially 
because  the  erroneous  belief  prevailed  in  England, 
as  well  as  in  France,  that  the  Empress  Eugenie's 
son  went  out  as  an  officer  holding  a  commission  in  the 
British  army.     Many  are  still  (191 6)  of  that  opinion. 

The  Prince  Imperial  escaped  the  Prussian  bullets 
at  Saarbriicken,  to  fall  the  victim  of  a  Zulu  ambush 
while  wearing  British  uniform.  The  Prince  and 
Lieutenant  Carey,  of  the  98th  (the  Staffordshire) 
Regiment,  headed  a  small  reconnoitring  party;  all 
had  "  unsaddled  "  and  were  resting  near  the  Ityotyozi 
River,  when  they  were  "  surprised  "  by  the  blacks, 
and  the  Prince,  failing  to  mount  as  quickly  as  his  com- 
panions, owing  to  the  breaking  of  a  stirrup-leather, 
was  pierced  by  assegais.  All  the  others  escaped; 
in  popular  parlance,  "  leaving  the  Prince  to  his  fate." 
It  was  the  last  act  of  that  tragedy  of  Bonapartism 
which  began  with  the  declaration  of  war  on  the  19th 
of  July,  1870.     The  curtain  fell  on  the  ist  of  June, 

1879- 

The  fact  that  the  Prince  had  obtained  official 
sanction  to  join  our  forces  as  a  "  spectator  "  of  the 
operations  caused  no  surprise  in  this  country;  his 
friends  here  approved  the  young  man's  action,  seeing 
in  it  a  laudable  desire  to  escape  from  a  stagnant 
existence  at  home,  and  perhaps  to  give  practical 
shape  to   his   assertion   on   the   lawn  at   Chislehurst, 


IDENTIFYING  THE  PRINCE  215 

"  I  was  born  a  gunner."  Some  of  his  own  country- 
men took  other  views,  but  they  held  their  peace  for 
ten  years. 

It  was  not  until  1890  that  two  books,  purporting  to 
deal  historically  with  the  career  of  the  Prince,  made 
their  appearance  in  Paris.  One,  by  far  the  most 
exhaustive,  and  abounding  in  documents,  is  that  by 
Comte  d'Herisson,  entitled  "  Le  Prince  Imperial : 
Napoleon  IV."  The  other,  by  an  anonymous  author, 
is  "  La  Verite  sur  le  Depart  du  Prince  Imperial 
pour  le  Zoulouland."  No  complaint  can  be  made 
of  the  second  of  these  volumes  on  the  score  of 
reticence,  for  the  author  undertakes  to  explain  the 
why  and  the  wherefore  of  the  Prince  Imperial's  action 
in  going  to  the  Cape.     This  is  his  story  in  brief.  * 

On  the  1 6th  March,  1879,  less  than  three  months 
before  his  death,  the  Prince  attained  the  age  of 
twenty-three.  In  the  eight  and  a  half  years  which  had 
elapsed  since  his  arrival  in  England  he  had  com- 
pleted his  education  at  King's  College  and  at  the 
Royal  Military  Academy  at  Woolwich,  and  was 
regarded  as  a  highly  promising  officer.  One  morning, 
a  comrade,  formerly  like  himself  a  Woolwich  cadet, 
presented  himself  at  Camden  Place,  to  say  good-bye 
to  his  friend.  The  visitor  was  going,  with  his 
regiment,  to  Zululand.  What  wonder,  then,  that  the 
Prince  took  counsel  with  his  friend  as  to  how  he 
himself,  "  Napoleon  the  Fourth,"  could  contrive 
to  accompany  those  lucky  ones  who  were  bound  for 

*  The  narratives  of  Comte  d'Herisson  and  the  author  of 
"  La  V^rit^  sur  le  Depart  du  Prince  Imperial  pour  le  Zoulou- 
land "  are  at  variance  with  the  narrative  by  that  intimate 
friend  of  the  young  Prince  which  is  given  in  the  chapter  "  The 
Empress  and  her  Son." 


2i6     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

the  Cape  ?  On  the  following  day  the  Prince  went  to 
London,  ostensibly  to  see  his  friend  off,  but  actually 
to  request  "  the  Duke  "  to  allow  him  to  "  go  out  "  also. 

Observing  his  cheerful  demeanour  when  he  got  back 
to  Chislehurst,  the  Empress  asked,  "  What  is  the 
matter  with  you,  Louis?  One  would  imagine  you 
had  won  the  great  prize  in  the  lottery."  The  Prince 
replied  that  he  felt  very  happy,  and  would  explain 
everything  the  next  day :  "  Not  to-night,  lest  it 
should  spoil  your  sleep."  This  ambiguous  answer  to 
her  inquiry  was  somewhat  disquieting  to  the  Empress, 
who,  the  last  thing  that  night,  begged  her  son  to  tell 
her  what  had  happened  :  "  Otherwise,  I  shall  think 
you  are  going  to  Zululand."  The  Prince  made 
a  clean  breast  of  it,  admitting  that  he  had  been  to  see 
the  Commander-in-Chief  in  order  to  obtain  the 
permission  of  the  Government  to  accompany  the 
Expeditionary  Force  to  the  Cape.  The  Duke  of 
Cambridge  had  promised  to  send  an  answer  the  next 
day. 

On  the  following  morning  the  Empress  had  a  long 
conversation  with  her  son  : 


"You  are  now,"  she  said,  "a  man;  you  are  twenty-three; 
and  one  day  you  may  reign  in  France,  You  are,  therefore, 
absolutely  free  to  act  as  your  conscience  directs.  But  I  am 
your  mother,  and  I  have  a  right  to  remind  you  that  certain 
duties  are  imposed  upon  you.  I  do  not  speak  of  myself.  I 
have  only  you  left  to  love,  and  I  worship  you.  I  have  but  one 
wish,  my  boy — to  see  you  happy.  But  your  life  belongs  to 
your  country,  to  your  Party,  which  is  devoted,  numerous  and 
ardent  in  your  cause ;  and  you  are  their  hope.  You  are  not 
free.  Above  all,  you  must  remember  that  you  have  to  safe- 
guard the  interests  of  all  who  reckon  upon  you.  Many  of 
them  have  made  great  sacrifices  both  for  your  father  and  for 
you.     Should  anything  happen  to  you,  you  would  have  placed 


IDENTIFYING  THE  PRINCE  217 

yourself  in  the  position  of  a  banker  who  had  failed  to  meet 
his  engagements." 

"  I  have  thought  much  about  it,"  said  the  Prince.  "  My 
departure  is  not  simply  the  freak  of  a  boy  who  seeks  adven- 
tures. It  is  for  the  sake  of  my  friends  that  I  am  going  to 
the  Cape.  In  France  I  am  scarcely  known.  They  only 
remember  me  as  a  child ;  and  I  am  always  spoken  of  as  'le 
petit  Prince. '  Then  even  my  best  friends  hold  different  opinions 
about  me.  Some  say  I  am  led  by  M.  Rouher ;  others,  that  I 
am  guided  by  General  Fleury ;  while  some  assert  that  you 
yourself  direct  me.  In  fact,  I  seem  to  have  no  personality 
of  my  own.  I  cannot  have  any  authority — I  shall  be  considered 
only  as  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  others — until  I  have 
done  something.  I  am  wasting  my  youth  in  the  midst  of 
political  squabbles,  having  no  immediate  interest.  If  I  return 
after  having  distingiiished  myself,  what  strength  I  shall  bring 
to  my  friends,  what  authority  I  shall  have  !  By  the  time 
my  father  had  reached  my  age  he  had  travelled  a  very  great 
deal.  L'inaction  est  perfide.  And  then  what  will  be  my 
position  as  regards  those  young  Englishmen  who  have  opened 
their  ranks  to  me  when  they  see  me  again?  Could  I  ever 
retake  my  place  among  them  if  I  allowed  them  to  go  out  and 
run  the  risk  of  getting  killed  without  my  being  among  them? 
For  the  honour  of  us  all,  for  the  glory  of  our  name,  let  me  go 
and  win  my  spurs  !  " 

Three  days  later  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  Cape. 

Such  is  the  story  as  told  by  the  anonymous  author 
of  "  La  Verite  sur  le  Depart  du  Prince  Imperial 
pour  le  Zoulouland." 

The  tragedy  of  Zululand  in  1879  may  be  said  to 
have  passed  into  history.  It  was  revived  in  1905 
by  the  publication  of  the  reminiscences  of  the  late 
Mr  Thomas  W.  Evans.  Mr  Evans,  according  to 
his  own  statement,  published  particularly  in  the 
"  British  Medical  Journal,"  as  well  as  in  the  English 
and  foreign  papers  generally,  immediately  after  the 
Prince  Imperial's  funeral  at  Chislehurst  in  July,  1879, 


2i8     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

examined  the  body  at  Woolwich  Arsenal,  and 
"  identified  "  it  as  being  that  of  the  ill-fated  Prince 
by  some  gold-filling,  his  own  work,  in  one  of  the  teeth. 
Why  was  it  necessary  to  call  in  Mr  Evans  to  "identify" 
the  body  if  it  was  readily  recognisable  by  others? 
It  was  stated  by  several  persons,  and  so  reported 
by  the  English,  French  and  all  other  newspapers, 
that  the  Prince  was  wounded  by  assegais  in  eighteen 
places,  one  assegai  piercing  the  left  eye.  Comte 
d'Herisson  declares  that  the  body  was  so  shockingly 
mutilated  as  to  be  unrecognisable,  "  riddled  by 
wounds,"  and  bases  this  assertion  upon  the  statements 
made  to  him  by  English  eye-witnesses,  the  Prince's 
grooms.  If  this  were  so,  it  would  explain  the 
apparently  mysterious  calling-in  of  Mr  Evans  to 
"  identify  "  the  body  of  the  Prince.  If  it  were  not 
so,  why  was  Mr  Evans  requested  to  examine  it? 

Comte  d'Herisson  is  not  the  only  French  author  of 
repute  who  is  firm  on  the  point  of  the  alleged  dis- 
figurement and  mutilation  of  the  young  Prince's  body. 
M.  Pierre  de  Lano,  in  his  work,  "  L'Imperatrice 
Eugenie,"  published  in  1894,  four  years  subsequent 
to  the  appearance  of  Comte  d'Herisson's  book,  says, 
"  When  the  cofhn-lid  was  raised  there  fell  upon 
those  present  a  sort  of  stupor  of  despair,  of  doubt, 
and  also  of  hope.  The  Prince,  indeed,  lying  in  that 
coffin,  was  unrecognisable,  and  all  present  were 
unanimous  in  declaring  that  it  was  not  he  whom  they 
had  loved.  Was  it,  then,  possible  that  a  mistake 
had  been  made?  The  hope  that  had  existed  soon 
disappeared.  Mr  Evans  put  all  doubt  at  an  end  by 
affirming,  after  he  had  attentively  examined  the 
mouth  of  the  dead,  that  he  recognised  a  tooth  which 
he    himself    had    attended    to    some   time    after    the 


IDENTIFYING  THE  PRINCE  219 

Prince's  departure  for  Zululand."  Both  d'Herisson's 
and  De  Lano's  works  were  published  serially  before 
their  appearance  in  book  form,  and  are  still  on  sale, 
unexpurgated !  Their  accuracy  was  never  then 
questioned  by  Monsignor  Goddard  or  anyone  else. 

One  Thursday  night  in  June,  1879,  they  were  saying 
in  the  House  of  Commons,  and  at  the  clubs,  that 
the  Prince  Imperial  had  been  killed  in  Zululand. 
Next  morning  the  papers,  in  brief  telegrams,  con- 
firmed the  news  which  had  leaked  out  the  previous 
night. 

On  Friday,  June  20,  1879,  the  "  Daily  News  " 
published  two  telegrams,  dated  June  i  and  2, 
from  its  special  correspondent,  "  Headquarters'  Camp, 
Itelezi."  The  correspondent  was  the  late  Mr  Archi- 
bald Forbes,  who  began  his  message  with  the  words, 
"  I  have  terrible  news  to  give,"  and  went  on  to  say, 
"  Prince  Napoleon's  body  was  found  in  a  donga,  a 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  kraal.  It  was 
stripped  naked,  and  lying  on  the  back.  There  was 
no  bullet  wound,  but  there  were  eighteen  assegai 
stabs — two  piercing  the  body  from  the  chest  to  the 
back,  two  in  his  side,  and  one  destroying  the  right 
eye.     The  face  wore  a  placid  expression." 

In  the  same  journal  on  July  12,  1879,  there  was 
an  account  of  the  opening  of  the  coffin  at  Woolwich  : 

This  scene,  so  terrible  to  the  assistants,  lasted  for  a  con- 
siderable time.  On  opening-  the  coffin  it  was  found  that  the 
operation  of  embalmings  the  corpse,  always  difficult  when 
several  wounds  have  been  inflicted,  had  been  imperfectly  per- 
formed, and  that,  although  decomposition  had  not  proceeded 
to  any  very  great  extent,  the  features  of  the  ill-fated  young 
soldier  had  undergone  such  serious  change  as  to  make  the 
work  of  recognition  almost  as  difficult  as  it  was  painful. 
Some  of  the  features  had  suffered  terribly,  but  all  doubt  as  to 


220     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

the  identity  of  the  deceased  Prince  was  set  at  rest  by  the 
peculiarity  of  his  dentition.  M.  Rouher  declared  himself 
"  satisfied  "  as  to  the  identity  of  the  body,  and  the  same 
opinion  was  expressed  by  many  of  those  who  viewed  it, 
including  [the  late]  Monsignor  Goddard.  Uhlmann,  the  old 
personal  servant  of  the  Prince,  who  carried  the  sword  of  his 
dead  master,  fainted  at  the  sight  of  the  distorted  features  of 
one  he  had  loved  so  well  and  served  so  faithfully.  . 

The  mortuary  chapel,  in  which  the  remains  were 
deposited  for  an  hour  or  so  before  being  taken  to 
Chislehurst,  was  cleared  of  all  but  the  Murat  Princes, 
the  two  Princes  Bonaparte  (Lucien  and  Charles), 
the  Due  de  Bassano,  M.  Rouher,  the  medical  men 
(Barons  Larrey,  Corvisart  and  Dr  Conneau),  Mon- 
signor Goddard  and  Mr  Evans,  and  then  the  coffin 
was  opened  and  the  "  identification  "  commenced. 

The  coffin  [said  Comte  d'H^risson,  writing  in  the  "  Gaulois  " 
before  the  arrival  at  Woolwich  of  the  Admiralty  yacht 
Enchantress  with  the  remains  of  the  illustrious  dead]  will  be 
placed  in  a  salle  draped  with  black,  where  the  legal  constatations 
will  take  place,  and  where  the  coffin  will  be  opened.  All 
these  formalities  depend  upon  the  tenour  of  the  procfes-verbaux 
accompanying  the  body ;  their  contents  are  not  yet  known 
in  England.  .  .  .  My  first  care,  on  arriving  at  Woolwich, 
was  to  go  on  board  the  Enchantress,  and  see  the  chamber  in 
which  was  the  coffin.  Touching  and  heart-breaking  spectacle  ! 
Round  the  bier  were  Prince  Joachim  Murat,  Louis  de  Turenne, 
Count  Davilliers  and  Admiral  Duperr^,  all  standing  with  bowed 
heads. 

The  clergy  came  to  conduct  the  coffin  to  the  chapelle  ardente 
in  the  armoury  of  the  Arsenal,  where  the  constatation  de 
I'identit^  will  be  made.  ...  I  pass  Uhlmann,  the  Prince's 
servant.  He  is  like  one  demented.  In  a  voice  broken  by  tears 
and  sobs  he  tells  how  he  saw  the  Prince's  body  riddled  with 
horrible  wounds.  The  left  side  was  transpierced.  The  Prince 
had  parried  the  assegais  with  his  left  arm,  which  was 
shockingly  mutilated.     At  the  Arsenal  it  is  rumoured  that  the 


IDENTIFYING  THE  PRINCE  221 

Empress  has  refused  to  allow  the  constatation  de  I'identit^  to  be 
made.     [This  was  not  so.] 

At  4.30  the  Prince  of  Wales  arrives,  and  remains  half 
an  hour.  In  the  chapelle  ardente  fifteen  persons,  at  the  most, 
are  grouped  :  they  are  the  Princes  of  the  family,  M.  Rouher, 
G^n^ral  Fleury,  the  Due  de  Mouchy,  M.  Pietri,  Dr  Corvisart 
and  the  other  l^gataires.  The  coffin  is  opened,  despite  the 
rumoured  opposition  of  the  Empress.  The  constatation  de 
I'identitd  takes  place  amidst  profound  anguish  and  behind  a 
white  veil,  which  drapes  the  entrance  to  conceal  as  much  as 
possible  this  sad  formality.  .  .  .  The  Royal  Dukes  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales  talk  with  Prince  Murat  and  M.  Rouher.  I 
leave  with  them  for  Chislehurst. 

Mr  Evans,  the  dentist,  who  had  on  several  occasions  attended 
the  Prince,  has  examined  the  teeth,  in  which  he  recognised 
certain  indications  which  had  formerly  claimed  his  attention. 
Other  persons  have  also  recognised  an  old  cicatrice  in  one  of 
the  hands  of  the  Prince,  .  .  .  The  Empress  [on  the  day  after  the 
funeral]  asked  to  see  Uhlmann.  The  faithful  servant  came, 
and  remained  with  her  nearly  an  hour,  answering  her  questions, 
and  satisfying  her  maternal  curiosity.  This  touching  inter- 
view caused  the  Empress  so  much  feverish  excitement  that, 
in  order  to  bring  the  conversation  to  an  end,  Dr  Corvisart 
was  obliged  to  plead  Uhlmann's  fatigue.  The  Empress  wished 
also  to  see  the  Prince's  orderly,  Lomas;  she  has  had  a  long 
talk  with  him.  The  Empress  expressed  a  desire  that  both 
Lomas  and  Uhlmann  should  remain  in  her  service. 

Comte  d'Herisson  complains  that  he  was  not 
invited  by  Prince  Murat  to  enter  the  chapelle  ardente 
(where  the  body  was  lying)  until  after  the  few 
persons  who  were  allowed  to  be  present  had  left, 
and  when  the  plumber  was  soldering  down  the 
coffin-lid : 

Thus  I  only  know  the  state  of  the  body  by  what  was  told 
me  by  certain  persons  who  had  seen  it,  and  who  left  the 
chapelle  ardente  absolument  atterr^s  (absolutely  horrified). 
I  have  said  that,  although  the  Prince  was  completely  unrecog- 
nisable,   he    was    nevertheless    identified   by    Mr    Evans,   who, 


222     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

from   his  inspection   of   the  teeth,  was  able  to  sign   a  solemn 

declaration    that   the    body   was,   indeed,    that  of    the    Prince 

Imperial.     The   English  medical  Press  enables  us  to  establish 
the  truth  upon  this  point. 

The  "  Gaulois  "  of  July  i6,  1879,  contained  the 
following  : — 

Our  London  correspondent  informs  us  that  the  Empress  has 
been  saddened  by  the  statements  which  represent  the  body 
of  her  son  as  having  been  horribly  disfigured.  The  aromatic 
herbs  used  for  the  embalming  blackened  the  flesh,  which 
has  given  rise  to  a  belief  that  there  was  a  decomposition  which 
does  not  exist.  The  Empress  said,  "  I  hope  nobody  will  be 
disquieted  about  my  son's  reputation  ou  dans  ses  int^rets." 

Comte  d'Herisson  thus  comments  upon  the 
Empress's  reported  observation  : 

The  body,  then,  was  not  decomposed?  How  was  Mr  Evans 
able  to  examine  the  Prince's  jaw?  And  if  he  was  able  to 
accomplish  this  tour  de  force,  by  what  illusory  phenomenon 
was  he  able  to  recognise  as  his  own  the  work  of  three  other 
dentists?  It  is,  however,  this  recognition  which  permitted  him 
to  solemnly  affirm  that  it  was  the  Prince's  body  ! 

The  "  Daily  News  "  of  Tuesday,  July  15,  1879, 
reported  : 

The  document  completing  the  formal  identification  of  the 
remains  of  the  late  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  was  legally  signed 
yesterday  by  the  persons  appointed  for  that  purpose — viz. 
Prince  Murat,  the  Due  de  Bassano,  Mr  Evans  and  Dr  Corvisart. 
Dr  Conneau  testified  to  recognising  a  wound  on  the  hip 
which  the  Prince  received  from  a  fall  when  a  child.  The 
injury  left  a  lump  of  coagulated  blood.  Mr  Evans  (who,  when 
he  saw  the  remains,  held  the  features  in  such  a  manner  that 
Prince  Murat  and  others  were  better  able  to  recognise  them) 
testified  to  the  identity  of  certain  teeth  which  he  had  filled. 
The  coffin  was  sealed  in  the  presence  only  of  the  executors 
named    in    the    will.      Before    this    was    done    a    quantity    of 


IDENTIFYING  THE  PRINCE  223 

the  Prince's  hair  was  cut  off  for  the  Empress.  Lomas,  the 
Prince's  orderly,  who  was  sent  out  to  assist  in  finding  the 
body  and  bring  it  into  the  British  camp,  has  given  some 
further  details  in  respect  of  the  matter.  He  says  the  body 
was  found  lying  in  a  semi-recumbent  position  on  a  slope, 
the  arms  being  pressed  close  to  the  chest.  There  are  in  all 
eighteen  wounds,  five  of  which  would  have  been  fatal.  There 
was  a  wound  in  the  foot,  and  another  in  one  of  the  eyes,  as 
though  an  assegai  had  been  thrown  and  struck  him  there,  and 
subsequently  been  wrenched  out.  It  was  these  wounds  which 
caused  the  discoloration  and  swelling  of  one  side  of  his 
face,  the  flesh  apparently  having  been  roughly  torn  when 
the  assegai  was  withdrawn.  There  was  also  a  slight  wound 
in  the  mouth,  and  a  tooth  knocked  out,  apparently  by  the 
thrust  of  an  assegai. 

In  the  "  Daily  News  "  of  July  14,  1879,  the  Paris 
correspondent  reported  that  the  "  Figaro  "  devoted 
two  pages  to  "  revised  and  supplementary  corre- 
spondence from  its  late  correspondent  in  Zululand," 
M.  Deleage,  who  returned  to  Europe  with  the  Prince's 
body.  Deleage  and  others  went  out  to  find  the 
three  bodies : 

The  first  body  (that  of  a  trooper)  they  found  had  the  head 
covered  with  a  piece  of  flannel.  Deleage  comments  on  the 
fact  that  the  savages  themselves  were  so  shocked  at  the 
mutilation  of  the  dead  man's  face  that  they  sacrificed  a  scrap 
of  flannel  to  conceal  the  horror.  Two  hundred  yards  farther 
the  body  of  the  Prince  was  found.  It  was  quite  naked.  The 
stiffened  arms  were  a  little  crossed  upon  the  breast,  and  the 
head  slightly  inclined  to  the  right.  There  was  no  trace  of 
suffering  on  the  face.  The  mouth  was  slightly  open,  the  left 
eye  shut,  the  right  eye  had  been  crushed  out  by  an  assegai. 
There  were  seventeen  or  eighteen  wounds,  all  in  the  front, 
and  according  to  Zulu  custom  the  stomach  was  cut  open,  but 
there  was  a  very  slight  incision,  and  the  entrails  did  not 
protrude.  Dr  Scott  and  Dr  Robertson  agreed  that  the  Prince 
was    killed    by    the    assegai    that    pierced    his    right    eye    and 


224    EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

penetrated  the  brain,  and  that  all  the  subsequent  wounds  were 
inflicted  on  a  dead  body. 

In  a  previous  dispatch  to  the  "  Figaro  "  M.  Deleage 
stated  that  he  had  "  vainly  tried  to  close  the  Prince's 
remaining  eye,  which  yet  reflected  gentleness  and 
goodness." 

On  July  5,  1879,  Archibald  Forbes  telegraphed 
from  Landsman's  Drift  an  account  of  the  battle 
of  Ulundi,  which  was  published  in  the  ''  Daily 
News  "  of  July  28.  In  this  telegram  Forbes 
described  some  of  the  barbarities  practised  by  the 
Zulus  upon  our  troops.  "  In  the  long  grass  Buller's 
men  found  three  comrades  who  had  fallen  in  a 
reconnaissance  the  previous  day,  mangled  with 
fiendish  ingenuity,  scalped,  their  noses  and  right  hands 
cut  off,  their  hearts  torn  out,  and  other  nameless 
mutilations." 

Dr  Gannal,  the  eminent  Paris  embalmer,  asked  for 
his  opinion,  wrote,  under  date  March  12,  1890: 

It  is  a  question  of  the  death  of  an  officer  abroad  as  the 
result  of  wounds  in  the  principal  organs — the  heart,  lungs, 
etc. — whose  body  was  embalmed  and  then  brought  to  Europe. 
You  ask  me  if  it  is  possible  that,  merely  by  the  opening  of 
the  coffin  some  days  after  the  embalming,  the  body  could 
become  black  and  absolutely  unrecognisable,  as  it  was  found 
to  be  when,  two  months  afterwards,  the  official  recognition 
took  place.  To  that  question  I  reply,  no.  ...  If,  however, 
the  embalming  had  not  been  performed  with  all  due  care  it 
would  have  been  found  that  the  body  was  brown,  green  in 
places,  swollen  by  gases,  the  tissues  softened ;  in  one  word 
unrecognisable  perhaps,  but  not  black.  .  .  .  You  also  ask  me 
if  it  is  possible  to  open  the  mouth  of  a  dead  person  two  months 
after  the  embalming,  in  order  to  see  if  the  molars  had  been 
filled  with  gold.  If  the  body  has  been  well  preserved 
(embalmed),  I  answer,  no;    if  it  is  in  a  state  of  decomposition, 


IDENTIFYING  THE  PRINCE         225 

yes,  but  it  would  be  a  dangerous  operation,  which  few  of  my 
colleagues  would  consent  to  perform  unless  they  should  be 
medecins  Idgistes,  who  make  a  sp6cialit6  of  these  painful 
researches.  ...  I  do  not  believe  a  dentist  competent  to  con- 
scientiously perform  such  an  operation. 

Comte  d'Herisson  asserts  that  J.  Lomas  and 
J.  Brown  (both  in  the  Prince  Imperial's  service  as 
grooms)  told  him  that,  on  the  discovery  of  the  body, 
they  had  "  recognised  "  it  as  that  of  the  Prince  : 

They  were  deceived.  Neither  Lomas  nor  Brown  was  the 
first  to  *'  recognise  "  the  Prince,  for  the  reason  that  when 
the  body  was  found  it  was  hardly  recognisable.  .  .  .  The 
body,  completely  naked,  bore  seventeen  assegai  wounds,  some 
in  the  face  and  some  in  the  chest.  The  assegai  is  a  terrible 
weapon,  making  frightful  wounds.  .  .  .  Only  imagination  can 
supply  the  details  which  are  lacking  of  the  Prince's  death. 
Once  he  and  his  companions  in  misfortune  were  killed  they 
were  all  treated  alike.  Thus  the  Prince,  like  the  two  others, 
was  despoiled  of  his  clothes ;  the  Zulus,  in  accordance  with 
their  custom,  disembowelled  him ;  for,  contrary  to  Lomas 's 
statement,  they  had  plenty  of  time  to  perform  this  barbarous 
operation.  .  ,  .  Lomas,  like  a  faithful  and  devoted  servant, 
repeated  what  he  had  been  told  to  say.  Never  could  he  have 
seen  in  a  head  from  which  one  eye  had  been  wrenched,  as 
well  as  a  part  of  the  cheek,  while  one  lip  was  smashed,  and 
there  were  several  other  wounds,  a  face  "  full  of  grace,  and 
almost  smiling."  If  the  face  was  in  that  condition,  why  was 
no  photograph  taken?  That  was  the  best  way  to  prove  the 
identity  of  the  dead  Prince.  .  .  .  The  English  had  a  well- 
organised  photographic  service  in  the  war  with  China  in 
i860.  Twenty  years  later  they  must  have  had  all  facilities 
for  photographing  the  body  of  the  Prince  if  it  had  been  con- 
sidered desirable.  We  know  what  the  sentiments  of  Europe 
will  be  when  it  is  found  that  the  coffin  contains  a  body  so 
completely  mutilated  [as  that  of  the  Prince  Imperial]. 

My    friend    Monsignor    Goddard    declared,    after 


226     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

seeing  the  body,  that  it  was  not  in  any  way  disfigured. 
I  saw  the  coffin  finally  closed  before  it  was  taken 
from  Woolwich  to  Chislehurst.  It  was  considered 
inadvisable  to  permit  the  Empress  to  take  a  last  look 
at  the  remains  of  her  heroic  son.     Why  ? 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE  EMPRESS'S  CRITICS 

The  late  Field-Marshal  Sir  John  Lintorn-Simmons 
(who  directed  the  Royal  Military  Academy  at 
Woolwich  during  the  Prince  Imperial's  studentship) 
was  the  only  personage  of  note  who  came  forward  by 
name  in  our  Press  to  support  the  Empress  when 
she  was  vehemently  attacked.  In  the  "  Nineteenth 
Century  "  (September,  1892)  Sir  John  published  an 
article  much  of  which  was  devoted  to  a  reply  to 
a  criticism  by  Archibald  Forbes  of  the  scabrous  work 
entitled  "  An  Englishman  in  Paris  "  which  had 
appeared  in  the  previous  number  of  the  same  review. 
I  quote  an  example  of  Sir  John  Simmons'  strenuous 
advocacy : 

The  Empress  knew  perfectly  well,  before  the  rupture  with 
Prussia  had  resulted  in  war,  that  the  Empire  had  nothing  to 
gain  by  it,  if  successful ;  but,  if  success  were  not  to  follow 
the  French  Eagles,  the  result  would  be,  in  all  human  probability, 
disastrous  to  the  Empress,  and  bring  about  the  ruin  of  the 
Emperor,  or  herself,  and  the  prospects  of  her  much-beloved 
son.  How,  then,  is  it  probable  that  she  did  not  share  the 
well-known  desire  of  the  Emperor  to  avoid  war?  It  is  certain 
that  a  cause  of  the  war  must  be  sought  for  elsewhere  than 
by  attributing  it  to  the  Empress,  and  it  is  probable  that  revela- 
tions which  may  possibly  emanate  from  the  great  ex-Chancellor 
in  Germany  [Prince  Bismarck]  may,  at  some  future  date, 
throw  a  light  which  will  not  only  remove  the  charge  from  the 
shoulders  of  the  Empress,  but  place  it  on  much  broader  and 
stronger  shoulders,  that  are  more  capable  of  sustaining  it. 
227 


r 


228     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

But  Bismarck  made  no  such  "  revelations." 
Perhaps  they  are  contained  in  the  MSS.  at  the  Bank 
of  England,  where  they  are  likely  to  remain  until 
the  death  of  William  II.,  the  "  Bloody  "  Kaiser  of 
1914-1916. 

If  Sir  John  Lintorn-Simmons  threw  himself  into 
the  discussion  with  natural  and,  as  all  will  agree,  com- 
mendable chivalry,  he  as  certainly  wrote  with  parti  pris. 
He  would  have  been  better  able  to  demolish  the 
"  Englishman  in  Paris  "  had  he  taken  the  trouble 
to  learn  the  views  of  those  who  wrote  with  full 
knowledge  and  based  their  arguments  upon  historical 
documents  and  facts.  The  Empress  Eugenie's 
friend  who  assisted  her  Majesty  in  the  preparation 
of  her  detailed  and  convincing  reply  to  her 
"calumniators"*  overlooked  the  testimony  of  one  who 
probably  would  have  strained  a  point  to  exhibit 
the  Empress  in  the  most  favourable  light  possible — 
the  late  Mr  Blanchard  Jerrold.  He  wrote  a  "Life" 
of  the  Emperor,  in  four  volumes,  and  a  glance  at  the 
title-page  shows  how  well  he  was  equipped  for  the 
task.  His  work  is  entitled  "  The  Life  of  Napoleon 
III.,  derived  from  State  Records,  from  Unpublished 
Family  Correspondence,  and  from  Personal  Testi- 
mony "  ;  and  it  was  published  in  1882  by  Longmans, 
Green  &  Co.  There  was  a  certain  appropriateness 
in  the  publication  of  the  work  by  that  firm,  for  did 
not  the  Empress  acquire  her  home  at  Farnborough 
Hill  from  the  late  Mr  Thomas  Longman.? 

The  question  of  responsibility  for  the  war  is 
treated  by  Mr  Jerrold  (vol.  i.,  pp.  474-475) : 

*Vide  "The  Empress  Eugenie:  1870 — 1910."  London: 
Harper  &  Brothers.  New  York :  Charles  Scribners'  Sons. 
1910. 


THE  EMPRESS'S  CRITICS  229 

All  the  testimony  agrees  in  presenting  the  Emperor  as  the 
first  to  welcome  hopes  of  peace  and  the  last  to  consent  to  the 
arbitrament  of  war.  At  the  night-council  at  St  Cloud  the 
war-party  was  in  force.  It  was  in  the  ascendant  in  the 
Palace  and  among  the  tried  friends  of  his  dynasty.  It  had 
the  sympathy  of  the  Empress,  whose  impulsive  nature  resented 
vehemently  the  tricks  and  the  open  insults  to  which  M.  de 
Bismarck,  their  ungenerous  and  unchivalrous  guest,  had 
subjected  her  adopted  country.  It  has  been  said  that  the 
Empress  urged  on  the  war-party,  and  was  indeed  the  chief 
instigator  of  the  war,  because  she  believed  it  would  secure 
the  return  of  the  throne  to  her  son.  Her  heroic  conduct  after 
the  fall  of  the  dynasty,  and  when  she  was  asked  to  save  it 
at  the  expense  of  the  honour  of  France,  should  have  shielded 
her  from  this  charge.  She  approved  the  war  because  she 
believed  that  the  honour  of  France  demanded  it,  but  none  .  .  . 
save  for  the  moment,  believed  that  her  share  in  the  respon- 
sibilities which  weigh  upon  those  who  governed  France  in 
July,  1870,  may  be  traced  to  other  than  patriotic  motives. 
The  French  war-party  wrought  an  evil  of  terrible  magnitude. 
All  who  were  of  it  must  bear  a  share  of  the  blame.  -• 

"  The  war-party,"  says  Blanchard  Jerrold,  "  had 
the  sympathy  of  the  Empress,"  and  she  "  must 
bear  a  share  of  the  blame,"  like  all  the  rest.  With 
the  citation  of  this  frank  assertion  of  an  impartial 
historian,  who  yet  wrote,  so  to  speak,  "  to  order," 
I  pass  on,  remarking  that  in  view  of  Mr  Jerrold's 
honestly  expressed  logical  opinions,  based  on  a 
presumably  accurate  knowledge  of  the  facts, 
the  inflated  assertions  and  nonsensical  assumptions 
of  the  late  Mr  Thomas  W.  Evans  (the  Imperial 
dentist)  to  the  contrary  can  only  be  regarded  as  vain 
talk. 

In    truth,    the    "  war-party  "  *   carried    everything 
*  Mr  Jerrold   seems  to  have  been  unaware   that  the   "war-    ^ 
party  ' '    really    comprised    all    France ;     so,    at    least,    recent 
eminent  authorities,  including  M.  Ollivier,  assert,  supported  by 
documentary  evidence. 


230     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

before  it,  even  ignoring  the  sound  advice  tendered  to 
France  by  the  Government  of  Queen  Victoria,  the 
Sovereign  to  whose  friendship  and  protection  the 
Empress  Eugenie  and  Napoleon  III.  owed  so  much. 
Mr  Jerrold  writes  (vol.  iv.,  pp.  469-470) : 

When  the  Council  met  on  the  morning  of  July  13th  a 
letter  from  Lord  Lyons  (British  Ambassador)  was  placed  in 
the  Emperor's  hands,  in  which  he  (the  Ambassador)  expressed 
urgently  the  hope  of  the  British  Government  that  France  would 
be  satisfied  with  the  withdrawal  of  Prince  Leopold  (from 
his  candidature  for  the  Spanish  throne).  This  communication 
inclined  the  Ministers  to  peace,  but  the  war-party  would  not 
yield. 

The  allegations,  briefly  formulated,  were  : 

1.  That  the  Empress  had  favoured  the  Declaration  of  War 
by  France. 

2.  That,  when  the  Emperor  expressed  the  strongest  possible 
desire  to  return  to  Paris  with  his  son,  after  the  defeats  of  the 
French  troops  in  the  battles  of  the  first  week  of  August,  the 
Empress  protested  against  his  return,  unless  he  could  come 
back  to  the  capital  as  a  conqueror ;    and 

3.  That  she  kept  the  Prince  Imperial  so  short  of  money  that, 
in  a  fit  of  sheer  desp^eration,  he  went  to  Africa  to  find,  as  it 
unfortunately  happened,  a  martyr's  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
Zulus. 

« 

The  gravest  charge  was  that  the  Empress  strongly 
objected  to  the  Emperor  and  the  Prince  Imperial 
returning  to  Paris  when  Napoleon  III.  found  every- 
thing going  against  him.  Had  she  permitted  her 
consort  and  their  son  to  go  back  from  the  front, 
where  the  Emperor  was  worse  than  useless,  and 
the  poor  little  Prince  (aged  fourteen !)  in  the  way, 
the  Prussians  would  not  have  "  captured  "  the 
Emperor  at  Sedan.     The  Empress  may  fairly  reply 


THE  EMPRESS'S  CRITICS  231 

that  the  Paris  populace  would  have  killed  him,  but 
it  is  not  altogether  unreasonable  to  suppose  that 
Napoleon  III.  would  have  had  at  least  as  good  a 
chance  of  escape  as  his  consort,  who  left  Paris 
without  molestation.  As  I  showed  in  my  first  part 
of  this  trilogy,  she  has  rebutted  all  the  accusations, 
and  her  answer,  as  put  forward  by  me,  was  accepted 
by  the  Press  generally  as  convincing,  although  her 
views  conflicted  with  those  of  the  Emperor. 

M.  Emile  OUivier  sided  with  the  Emperor,  but  his 
opinions  underwent  a  certain  amount  of  modification 
of  late  years.  We  have  been  told  by  M.  James  de 
Chambrier  ("  Entre  I'Apogee  et  la  Declin  "  *)  that 
it  was  proposed,  at  one  of  the  meetings  of  the 
Academic,  to  award  the  Gobert  prize  to  M.  Pierre 
de  la  Gorce,  whose  history  of  the  Second  Empire  is 
highly  valued  in  England  as  well  as  in  France.  The 
proposal  was  opposed  by  Ollivier  on  the  ground 
that  M.  de  la  Gorce,  in  the  work  referred  to, 
had  asserted  that  the  Empire  was  responsible  for  the 
war.  "  It  was  not  the  Empire,"  said  Ollivier,  "  but 
Prussia,  which  wanted  the  war,  which  rendered  it 
inevitable,  and  forced  France  to  declare  it."  Ollivier 
denounced  all  that  De  la  Gorce  had  said  on  the 
subject  in  his  work,  some  passages  of  which,  added 
Ollivier,  are  "  suitable  for  incorporating  in  a  manual 
for  German  schools  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Kaiser."  The  majority  of  the  members  of  the 
Academic  present  evidently  shared  Ollivier's  views, 
and  awarded  the  Gobert  prize,  not  to  De  la  Gorce, 
but  to  General  Bonnal,  a  deservedly  popular  writer 
on  military  subjects  in  19 16. 

*  Paris:  A.  Fontemoign.     1908. 


232     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

M.  de  la  Gorce  writes,  in  his  "  Histoire  du  Second 
Empire  "  (vol.  i.,  p.  294) : 

A  very  honourable  reserve,  caused  by  pity  for  misfortune,  and 
also  by  fidelity  to  an  august  Empress,  has  veiled  and  softened 
most  of  the  public  evidence  which  might  accuse  her.  But 
all  the  manuscript  correspondence,  all  the  private  papers,  give 
this  clear  impression — that,  on  the  French  side,  the  Empress 
was  the  principal  artificer  of  the  war. 

The  Due  de  Gramont,  Minister  of  Foreign 
Aifairs  in  1870,  in  "  La  France  et  la  Prusse  avant  la 
Guerre,"  speaking  of  the  transfer  of  power  to  the 
Empress,  says : 

This  measure  was  as  fatal  to  the  Emperor  as  to  the  Empress, 
for  it  is  incontestable  that  it  would  have  been  better  for 
both,  and  especially  for  the  country,  if  the  powers  of  the 
Regency  had  not  been  delegated  (to  the  Empress)  until  the  day 
when  the  Emperor  should  have  quitted  French  territory.  * 

What  M.  de  Gramont  evidently  means  is  that  the 
Decree  of  July  26,  1870,  conferring  upon  the  Empress 
the  functions  of  Regent  immediately  the  Emperor 
should  have  left  the  capital,  had  the  result  of 
creating  in  France  that  double  Government  of  which 
Napoleon  III.  spoke.  There  is  evidence,  not  that 
the  Empress  precipitated  the  war,  but  that  the 
Emperor  did  not  wish  it. 

In  his  "Notes  pour  servir  a  I'Histoire  de  la  Guerre 
de  1870  "  t  M.  Alfred  Darimon,  who  was  one 
of  the  famous  "  Five  "  of  the  Opposition,  asserts 
that  as  far  back  as  the  Crimean  War,  in  which  the 

*  When  the  Emperor  "quitted  French  territory"  it  was 
as  a  prisoner. 

t  Paris  :  Librairie  Paul  OUendorf. 


THE  EMPRESS'S  CRITICS  233 

French  played  so  prominent  a  part  (luckily  for  us), 
the  Empress  cherished  the  hope  of  one  day  exercising 
the  duties  of  Regent.  The  Emperor  was  bent  upon 
proceeding  to  the  scene  of  operations  in  the  East, 
and  assuming  the  command  of  his  army;  but  his 
ideas  were  opposed  by  his  Ministers.  The  only 
person  who  supported  the  Emperor  in  his  intentions 
was  the  Empress,  who  expressed  her  views  upon 
the  subject  very  forcibly  to  Queen  Victoria.  The 
Queen,  however,  successfully  argued  to  the  contrary, 
and  her  advice  prevailed.  , 

Darimon  affirms  that  the  Empress  was  the  cause 
of  all  the  embarrassments  which  resulted  from  the 
war  with  Italy.  She  was  Regent  once  more  in  1865, 
when  the  Emperor  went  to  Algiers  for  his  health. 
Thereafter,  there  was  a  numerous  and  powerful 
"  Empress's  party  "  at  the  Tuileries. 

In  "  The  Historians'  History  of  the  World," 
published  by  the  "  Times  "  in  1907,  is  this  passage 
(vol.  XV.,  p.  518): 

.  .  .  Napoleon  wavered.  For  a  cause  like  this  (the  Hohen- 
zoUern  candidature)  to  begin  war  with  the  united  power  of 
the  North  German  Confederation,  perhaps  even  with  all 
Germany,  appeared  to  him  a  dangerous  proceeding.  For  a 
long  time  he  could  come  to  no  decision,  but  listened  while 
all  and  sundry  gave  him  their  views,  and  brooded  over  them 
in  his  wonted  fashion.  In  a  short  time  peace  was  all  but 
decided  upon.  But  in  the  night  of  the  14th  to  15th  July,  in 
which  the  decisive  sitting  of  the  Ministerial  Council  was  held 
at  St  Cloud,  the  Ministers  Gramont  and  Leboeuf,  both  anxious 
for  war,  and  the  Empress  Eugenie,  instigated  and  instructed 
by  the  Jesuits,  urged  on  the  Emperor  no  longer  to  take  these 
perpetual  rebuffs  and  humiliations  from  Prussia,  but,  for  the 
safety  of  his  throne,  which  rested  on  the  respect  of  the  French 
people,  to  declare  war,  and,  in  alliance  with  the  great  Catholic 
nations,  fall  on  heretic  Germany.     The  Emperor  finally  yielded, 


234     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

manifestly  with  a  heavy  heart,  and  the  Empress  cried  triumph- 
antly, "  This  is  my  war  !  *  With  God's  help  we  will  overthrow 
Protestant  Prussia." 

The  sentence  "  in  alliance  with  the  great  Catholic 
nations  "  does  not  seem  particularly  apt.  Austria 
and  Italy  had  undertaken  to  support  France,  con- 
ditionally; these  were  the  only  possible  "  alliances," 
and  the  fact  that  Napoleon  III.,  or  rather  his 
advisers,  would  not  consent  to  suspend  military 
operations  until  1871  (the  period  suggested  by 
Austria)  decided  those  Powers  to  hold  aloof. 

The  view  that  the  Emperor  was  strongly  opposed 
to  the  declaration  of  war  is  also  taken  by  the  author 
of  "  An  Englishman  in  Paris,"  whom  many  have 
erroneously  supposed  to  have  been  the  late  Sir 
Richard  Wallace  !  The  author  of  that  work  (actually 
a  Mr  Vandam)  asks  : 

Was  Napoleon  III.  steeped  in  such  crass  ignorance  as  not 
to  have  had  an  inkling  of  all  this?  Certainly  not  !  But  he 
was  weary,  body  and  soul,  and,  but  for  his  wife  and  son,  he 
would,  perhaps  willingly,  have  abdicated.  He  had  been 
suffering  for  years  from  one  of  the  most  excruciating  diseases, 
and  a  fortnight  before  the  declaration  of  war  the  symptoms 
had  become  so  alarming  that  a  great  consultation  was  held 
between  MM.  Ndlaton,  Ricord,  Fauvel,  G.  See  and  Corvisart. 
The  result  was  the  unanimous  conclusion  of  those  eminent 
medical  men  that  an  immediate  operation  was  absolutely 
necessary.  Curiously  enough,  however,  the  report  embodying 
this  decision  was  only  signed  by  one,  and  not  communicated 
to  the  Empress  at  all.  It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that, 
had  she  known  of  her  husband's  condition,  she  would  not 
have  agitated  in  favour  of  the  war,  as  she  undoubtedly  did. 

*  The  Empress,  I  repeat,  emphatically  denies  that  she  ever 
used  these  words.  Vide  "  The  Empress  Eugenie : 
1870 — 1 9 10."     Harpers. 


THE  EMPRESS'S  CRITICS  235 

Is  it  not  significant  of  the  anxiety  of  our  neighbours 
and  allies  to  solve  the  question,  "  Who  was  respon- 
sible for  the  war?  "  that  writers  of  greater  or 
lesser  eminence  were  still,  and  in  19 16  are,  contri- 
buting illuminating  essays  on  this  disputed  point 
to  the  leading  French  periodicals?  In  two  closely 
reasoned  articles,  highly  documentes,  in  "  Le  Corre- 
spondent "  (October,  1908),  M.  Henri  Welschinger, 
of  the  Academic  des  Sciences  Morales  et  Politiques, 
brought  to  light  a  variety  of  interesting  political 
and  diplomatic  facts.  Although  he  did  not  per- 
petrate any  *'  injuries  "  upon  the  Empress — far  from 
it — he  asserted  that  it  was  undeniable  that  she 
exercised  a  preponderating  influence  in  regard  to 
the  declaration  of  war.  For  at  least  a  year  she  had 
been  much  perturbed  respecting  the  stability  of  the 
reign  : 

The  elections  of  1869,  which  had  strengthened  the  Republican 
party  and  undeceived  many  official  candidates ;  the  incessant 
agitation  in  the  capital ;  the  violent  attacks  of  the  opposition 
press ;  the  success  of  Rochefort's  pamphlet  *  ;  the  Emperor's 
uncertain  health;  the  little  confidence  which  she  had  in  a 
liberal  policy  ...  all  these  grave  matters  led  the  Empress 
to  believe  that,  without  an  extraordinary  coup  of  luck,  the 
days  of  the  Empire  were  numbered.  She  eagerly  seized  the 
opportunity  which  the  candidature  of  a  German  Prince  seemed  to 
present.  She  evidenced  an  unlimited  confidence  in  the  French 
forces,  and  considered  them  superior  to  those  of  Prussia. 
She  thought  that  the  French,  who  had  not  forgiven  the 
Prussians  for  their  brilliant  success  in  1866,  would  be  happy 
to  revenge  themselves  for  Sadowa,  and  to  put  an  end  to  the 
ambitious  designs  contemplated  by  the  victors.  She  was 
certain  that  a  victory  would  consolidate  the  Imperial  throne 
and  permit  her  son,  whose  precocious  intelligence  and  generous 
character   she   appreciated,    to   succeed  Napoleon   III.    without 

*  "  La  Lanterne." 


236     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

any  difficulty.  She  eagerly  received  also  the  presumptuous 
assurances  of  the  Bonapartist  Press,  which  was  directed  by 
J6r6me  David,  Granier  de  Cassagnac,  Clement  Duvernois  and 
Dugue  de  la  Fauconnerie. 

The  Empress  had  no  doubt  but  that  the  whole  country  would 
consider  the  design  of  placing  a  Hohenzollern  upon  the  throne 
of  Spain  as  an  insult  and  a  defiance.  She  thought  that,  if  the 
Imperial  Government  succeeded  in  humiliating  and  defeating 
Prussia,  it  would  give  immense  satisfaction  to  all,  and  would 
so  increase  its  influence  at  home  and  abroad  as  to  enable  it 
to  dominate  the  situation.  The  mad  enthusiasm  with  which 
the  Due  de  Gramont's  declaration  on  the  5th  of  July  had  been 
received,  deceived  her  as  to  the  real  trend  of  public  opinion. 
Lord  Granville,  who  had  done  all  in  his  power  to  prevent 
a  catastrophe,  had,  through  Lord  Lyons  (British  Ambassador), 
informed  the  Imperial  Government  that  it  would  incur  an 
immense  responsibility  if  it  widened  the  causes  of  the  quarrel 
by  refusing  to  accept  the  renunciation  of  Prince  Leopold  of 
Hohenzollern 's  claims,  a  renunciation  verbally  approved  by 
the  King  of  Prussia. 

Lord  Granville  added  that  the  French  Minister  of  Foreign 
Affairs  had  no  right  to  say  that  the  British  Government 
appeared  to  admit  the  legitimate  character  of  the  French 
complaints.  In  Lord  Granville's  opinion  the  Cabinet  of  the 
Tuileries  was  wrong  in  taking  the  responsibility  of  a  purely 
formal  quarrel,  since,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  had  obtained 
satisfaction.  This  clear  impression  Lord  Lyons  had  made 
known,  on  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  July,  at  St  Cloud,  by 
a  dispatch  which  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  the  British  Embassy 
had  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Emperor,  at  a  sitting  of  the 
Council,  and  in  presence  of  the  Empress.  But  J6r6me  David, 
Cldment  Duvernois  and  their  party,  were  then  more  powerful 
than  Lord  Lyons  and  Lord  Granville,  although  they  spoke 
in  the  name  of  Queen  Victoria.  The  Due  de  Gramont's  fresh 
demand,  made  at  the  pressing  desire  of  the  Empress,  by  which 
the  King  of  Prussia  was  invited  to  prevent,  by  writing,  Prince 
Leopold  from  revoking  his  decision  at  any  time,  surprised 
and  profoundly  grieved  our  allies  {i.e.  the  English).  .  .  .  The 
Emperor  was  not  as  much  disposed  for  war  as  the  Empress. 
More  than  once  he  had  told  his  First  Minister,  Emile  Ollivier, 
that  he  had  decided  to  do  nothing. 


THE  EMPRESS'S  CRITICS  237 

On  the  very  evening  (July  14)  when  the  Council  at  St  Cloud 
decided  upon  declaring-  war,  the  Emperor,  as  Marshal 
MacMahon  narrated,  still  sought  every  kind  of  pretext  to 
avoid  war.  A  sudden  attack  of  his  malady,  la  pier  re,  com- 
pelled him  to  leave  the  Council,  and  he  fainted.  The  doctors, 
in  the  interest  of  the  Emperor,  and  also  of  the  Empire,  ought 
to  have  warned  their  patient  of  his  danger;  and  who  knows  if 
the  Empress,  confronted  by  such  a  revelation,  would  not  have 
hesitated  to  embark  upon  an  adventure  the  most  to  be  dreaded 
and  the  most  uncertain?  When  Napoleon  had  recovered 
from  the  syncope  into  which  he  had  fallen,  and  returned  to 
the  Council,  the  Ministers — or  some  of  them,  at  least — who 
had  appeared  anything  but  decided  to  provoke  immediate 
hostilities,  had  been  brought,  under  pressure  of  the  eloquent 
objurgations  of  the  Empress,  to  take  the  most  terrible  of  parts. 
.  .  .  The  Emperor  was  obliged  to  give  in.  This  time  "  the 
iron  dice  "  were  well  thrown. 

The  wild  enthusiasm  with  which  the  Declaration  of 
War  was  greeted  soon  subsided.  Even  the  bellicose 
courtiers  at  St  Cloud  betrayed  alarm — those  courtiers 
who  had  shouted  for  war  and  stigmatised  as  traitors 
the  more  sober-minded  people — lamentably  few  in 
number,  alas ! — who  had  counselled  peace.  Mon- 
signor  Darboy,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  whom  the 
Communards  shot,  went  to  St  Cloud  to  witness 
the  swearing-in  of  several  bishops;  he  noticed  that 
the  Empress  was  a  prey  to  the  most  sinister  pre- 
sentiments. The  affair  of  Saarbriicken,  in  which 
the  Prince  Imperial  had  shown  so  much  pluck, 
momentarily  reassured  her.  "  He  will  be  lucky  in 
war,  like  the  Bonapartes,"  she  said.  "  Who,"  asks 
M.  Welschinger,  "  would  have  believed  at  that 
moment  that  the  reverses  which  were  close  at  hand 
would  cause  the  Imperial  throne  to  crumble  and 
send  the  Empress  into  exile — that  the  prelate  who 
consoled  her  would  be  shot  by  scoundrels,  and  that 


238     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

the  young  Prince,  the  object  of  so  much  solicitude, 
would  one  day  fall  under  the  assegais  of  savages 
at  the  Cape?  " 

That  the  question  of  war  between  the  two  nations 
was  bruited  in  Germany  long  before  it  was  revived 
with  such  appalling  consequences  to  France  by  the 
HohenzoUern  incident  is  demonstrated  by  Prince 
Clovis  von  Hohenlohe  in  his  "  Memoirs/'  The 
Prince  writes,  under  date,  Munich,  August  13,  1866 
(p.  249,  vol.  i.,  French  edition,  1908) :  "  European 
politics  depend  to-day  upon  the  decision  of  the 
King  of  Prussia.  Bismarck  is  disposed  to  cede 
to  the  desires  of  Napoleon  and  to  give  him  Saar- 
briicken,  Luxemburg,  and  a  part  of  the  Bavarian 
Palatinate;  but  to  this  the  King  is  opposed.  Unless 
the  King  assents  to  this  there  will  be  war  between 
France  and  Prussia.  We  {i.e.  Bavaria)  shall  march 
then  against  Prussia  with  France  and  Austria.'' 

It  had  been,  of  course,  the  belief — at  all  events 
the  hope — of  Napoleon  III.  that,  should  he  go  to 
war  with  Prussia,  he  would  have  the  support  of  the 
South  German  states.  This  belief,  or  hope,  was, 
however,  based  upon  the  contemplated  alliance  with 
Austria.  Rather  more  than  two  years  later  (April  28, 
1868)  Prince  Clovis  wrote  from  Berlin :  "  As  to 
war  with  France,  it  is  as  impossible  to  predict 
anything  with  certainty  as  to  prophesy  what  the 
weather  will  be  like  in  July ;  for  France  will  consider 
twice  before  crossing  swords  with  Germany.  The 
French  plan  of  campaign  is  as  follows  : — To  throw 
50,000  men  into  the  South  of  Germany  in  order 
to  secure  neutrality.  The  Southern  States  will  then 
have  a  mauvais  quart  d'heure,  for  Prussia  will 
immediately   mass   200,000  men  at   Coblenz,   and   a 


THE  EMPRESS'S  CRITICS  239 

few  days  afterwards  she  will  have  500,000  men  and 
direct  them  upon  Paris ;  but  these  operations  require 
time.  If  we  are  in  a  position  to  resist  France,  nothing 
could  be  better."     What  De  Chambrier  says  : 

"  The  accusations  brought  against  the  Empress 
ci  propos  of  that  terrible  war  which  resulted  in  the 
end  of  everything  for  her — accusations  which  have 
long  weighed  upon  one  whose  name  will  always 
mingle  with  the  glories  and  the  misfortunes  of 
France — have  already  been  weakened  by  the  evidence 
even  of  those  adversaries  whose  diplomatic  and 
military  victories  caused  the  fall  of  the  Second 
Empire.  Among  that  evidence  are  the  belated 
admissions  of  Bismarck  respecting  that  Ems  telegram 
which  made  the  war  of  1870  inevitable.  Then 
came  the  '  Propos  de  Table  '  of  Busch,  the  Chan- 
cellor's confidant;  the  recent  Memoirs  of  Count 
Bernstorff,  and  the  still  more  recent  Memoirs  of 
Prince  von  Hohenlohe.  Those  show  the  effort,  the 
ruse  of  the  soldiers  and  diplomatists  who  snatched 
from  the  King  of  Prussia  his  consent  to  the  war  with 
France.  That  war  was  their  work,  as  had  been  the 
Danish  and  Austrian  wars  of  1864  and  1866." 

In  this  sweeping  manner  are  the  "  accusations  " 
against  the  Empress  disposed  of  by  M.  James  de 
Chambrier.  Whether  we  agree  (as  many  will)  with 
his  opinions,  or  whether  we  question  their  absolute 
accuracy  (which  certainly  I  am  not  prepared  to  do), 
they  deserve  to  be  treated  with  respect,  for  this 
writer  boasts  a  longer  and  more  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  events  of  the  Second  Empire  than  that 
possessed  by  many  French  authors  who  are  better 
known  in  this  country. 


240     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Not  to  quote  other  authorities,  we  have  Lord 
Malmesbury's  assertion  that  at  the  Council  held 
at  St  Cloud  on  the  14th  of  July,  1870,  the  Empress 
said  war  was  "  an  unavoidable  necessity  if  the 
honour  of  France  was  not  to  become  an  empty 
word.'*  But,  whatever  opinion  may  have  been  formed 
respecting  the  Empress's  direct  or  indirect  share 
in  the  production  of  the  cataclysm  of  1870,  we  may 
all  hope  that  history  will  show  the  illustrious  Exile 
at  Farnborough  Hill  in,  as  her  consort  happily 
phrased  it,  "  her  true  colours."  The  Empress  has 
been  heard  in  her  own  defence  (in  my  first  volume). 
None  can  honestly  assert  that  she  has  not  therein 
effectively  answered  her  "  accusers." 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

LOUIS    NAPOLEON    IN    LONDON 

Madame  Doche  had  create'd  in  Paris  the  part  of 
Marguerite  Gautier  in  "  La  Dame  aux  Camelias," 
with  Charles  Fechter  as  Armand  Duval.  Full  of 
her  triumphs,  the  Sarah  Bernhardt  of  the  forties 
came  to  London,  and,  as  she  was  beautiful  as  well 
as  talented,  she  soon  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  "  dandies  "  of  the  period.  Two  of  her  admirers 
were  (of  course)  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  and  the 
Lord  Pembroke  who  was  the  brother  of  Sidney 
Herbert.  Lord  Pembroke  was  rich  and  extravagant; 
Prince  Louis  Napoleon  was,  by  comparison,  a  pauper. 
His  income  was  about  ;^28oo  a  year,  most  of 
which  went  in  gambling  at  "  Crockford's,"  the 
notorious  "  hell  "  in  St  James's  Street,  and  to  keeping 
alive  the  adventurers  and  conspirators  who  rightly 
believed  in  the  ultimate  success  of  the  heir  to  the 
Imperial  throne. 

Doche  quite  took  Louis  Napoleon  by  assault,  and 
her  beauty,  wit,  and  charm  at  once  subjugated  this 
Caesar  in  embryo,  who  one  day  sent  word  to  her  that 
"  he  could  not  marry  her,  because  his  name  was 
not  his  own,  but  belonged  to  a  dynasty  and  a  cause, 
while  his  means  were  limited."  He  assured  her, 
however,  that,  "if  she  would  look  kindly  on  him,'* 
he  would  promise  never  to  marry,  would  share 
with  her  all  that  he  then  possessed,  and  in  the  event 
Q  241 


242     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

of  his  ever  becoming  Emperor  of  the  French  (which, 
at  the  time,  was  highly  improbable)  would  provide 
for  her. 

Doche  was  an  amusing,  but  a  very  silly  woman. 
She  replied  to  the  Prince  that,  although  she  was 
highly  flattered  by  his  offer,  he  must  give  her  time 
for  reflection,  for  she  had  just  received  from  Lord 
Pembroke  a  most  splendid  and  generous  pro- 
position, which,  as  "  she  had  her  bread  to  earn  " 
(her  own  words)  and  her  future  to  provide  for,  she 
could  hardly  afford  to  reject  without  due  con- 
sideration. Louis  Napoleon  was  very  angry  at  the 
woman's  stupidity,  and  endeavoured,  but  in  vain, 
to  pick  a  quarrel  with  Lord  Pembroke,  who  simply 
laughed  at  him,  and  then  won  £700  from  him 
at  cards.  Thus  did  poor,  silly  Doche  (who  used 
to  tell  the  story  with  tears  in  her  beautiful  eyes) 
lose  one  of  the  most  marvellous  chances  that  ever 
offered  itself  to  a  disciple  of  Phryne.  But  she  lost 
Lord  Pembroke,  too,  by  her  stupidity,  and  it  was  this 
last  mistake  of  hers  which  created  the  Montgomery 
family.  Knowing  the  noble  lord's  reckless  dis- 
position, impatience  of  denial,  and  splendid,  but 
mad,  generosity,  she  thought  it  would  be  clever 
to  play  fast  and  loose  with  him  in  the  hope  that,  at 
length  exasperated,  he  might  perchance  even  surpass 
himself  in  Quixotic  folly  and  lay  at  her  feet  half  of 
Eldorado. 

But  Pembroke  was  not  used  to  being  trifled  with, 
though  he  was  quite  ready  to  pay  handsomely  for  his 
caprices,  and  doubtless  coincided  with  Tom  Moore 
when  he  sings,  under  the  transparent  nom  de  plume 
of  "  Thomas  Little  "  : 


LOUIS  NAPOLEON  IN  LONDON      243 

Doris,  you  little  rosy  rake, 

That  heart  of  yours  I  long  to  rifle  ; 

Come,  give  it  me,  and  do  not  make 
So  much  ado  about  a  trifle  ! 

So  one  morning  he  thus  explained  the  situation  to 
a  friend  :  "  I  have  invited  Doche  to  have  supper 
with  me  at  Richmond  to-night.  I  have  asked  her 
over  and  over  again;  she  has  always  promised  to 
come,  and  never  kept  her  word.  I  am  tired  of  it. 
I  have  named  eleven  o'clock.  If  she  is  punctual,  my 
servant  will  have  ^10,000  to  give  her,  but  every 
five   minutes  after  half  past  eleven  he  will  deduct 

;^IOOO." 

She  never  came  at  all.  The  following  morning  his 
lordship  sent  for  the  manager  of  one  of  the  leading 
jewellers  of  Bond  Street,  and  instructed  him  to 
go  at  once  to  the  residence  (if  he  could  find  out  where 
it  was)  of  a  certain  ballet  dancer  named  Schaeffer, 
who,  though  ugly  and  stupid,  had  caused  some 
sensation  in  a  ballet  at  the  opera,  and  offer  her,  in 
his  (Pembroke's)  name,  jewels  to  the  amount  of 
;^2  5,cxxD.  The  poor  fellow  had  considerable 
difficulty  in  discovering  the  ballerina's  address;  but 
he  eventually  found  the  lady  in  a  fourth-floor  bedroom 
in  Leicester  Square  engaged  in  washing  her  silk 
stockings. 

The  delight  of  Mile  Schaeffer  can  be  easily 
imagined;  nor  is  it  difficult  to  picture  the  dismay  of 
Doche  when  she  discovered  all  that  she  had  lost  by 
her  perverseness.  It  was,  however,  too  late  to  mend 
matters,  and,  although  she  wrote  letter  after  letter 
to  the  Lord  of  Wilton,  her  epistles  were  all  returned 
to  her  unanswered.  This  intrigue  with  Schaeffer, 
which  Lord  Pembroke  began  in  a  moment  of  pique 


244     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

and  wounded  pride,  ripened  into  a  lasting  attachment, 
and  he  not  only  gave  her  immense  sums  during  his 
lifetime,  but  provided  for  her  children,  and  left 
her  all  he  could  in  his  will.  The  offspring  assumed 
the  name  of  Montgomery,  the  second  title  of  the 
earldom,  and  thus  it  is  that  we  have  the  noble  family 
of  De  Montgomery  in  France  to-day. 

"  I  tell  this  little  tale,"  concludes  the  narrator, 
"  lest  it  should  be  imagined  that  the  De  Mont- 
gomerys,  who  are  Protestants,  are  in  any  way 
connected  with  the  gentleman  who  had  the  misfortune 
to  kill  Henry  H.  in  the  famous  tilting  match." 

In  1843 — Prince  Louis  Napoleon  being  then  a 
prisoner  at  Ham — Queen  Victoria  and  the  Prince 
Consort  visited  the  King  and  Queen  of  the  French 
at  the  Chateau  d'Eu,  Treport.  Here  our  Queen 
and  Prince  Albert  saw  Madame  Doche  and  other 
members  of  the  vaudeville  company  (Arnal  and 
Felix  among  them)  in  "  Le  Chateau  de  ma  Niece  " 
and  "  L'Humoriste,"  and  it  is  on  record  that  Queen 
Victoria  was  "much  amused"  by  the  sprightly  Doche 
and  her  comrades. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

POETS'   TRIBUTES 

Napoleon's  Death,  1879 

My  interest  in  the  Prince  Imperial  led  me,  in  1879, 
to  offer  prizes  (in  the  "Whitehall  Review")  for  the 
best  poems  on  his  death.  Three  of  these  are  now 
appended.  I  add  to  them  some  verses  on  Napoleon 
III.  by  my  friend,  the  well-known  poet,  Mr  J.  W. 
Gilbart- Smith. 

France 

England,  whom  waitest  thou  ? 
shadows  are  on  thy  brow, 
and  all  the  night  is  wet  with  tears, 
and  storms  are  ringing  in  thine  ears ; 

whom  waitest  thou  ?     whom  waitest  thou  ? 
there  by  thy  sea-cliff's  ghostly  line, 
with  sad  eyes  bent  across  the  brine, 

is  it  a  son  of  thine 

comes  with  the  dawn  divine 

on  lips  that  make  no  sign  ? 

comes  o'er  the  misty  sea 

in  funeral  pageantry  ? 

England 

It  is  thy  son,  France,  thine,  and  mine, 
thy  son,  my  soldier,  even  mine ; 
mine ;  for  he  wore  the  sword  for  me, 
mine ;  for  he  died  in  fight  for  me ; 
245 


246     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

thine ;  but  he  cometh  not  to  thee, 
thy  heart  is  closed  :  thou  wilt  not  see  ! 
Wilt  thou  not  weep  ?     It  is  thy  son  ! 
dead — dead  !     Napoleon  ! 
Was  it  for  this  thy  myriad-throated  throng  ? 

thy  guns'  loud  thunder,  and  thy  torches'  glance  ? 
Was  it  for  this  thou  criedst  all  night  long 

"  Vive    I'Empereur !       Long    live    the    Child    of 
France !  " 
Was  it  for  this  he  rode  beside  his  sire 

ere  the  storm  burst  and  swept  away  the  throne  ? 
Was  it  for  this  the  baptism  of  fire 

marked  on  his  boyish  brow  "  Napoleon  "  ? 
Was  it  for  this  he  watched  through  exiled  years 

his  widowed  mother,  he — her  only  son  ? 
Was  it  for  this  she  clung  to  him  in  tears, 

What  would  be  left  to  her  when  he  was  gone  ? 
Weep,  France,  it  is  thy  son, 
dead  !     dead  !     Napoleon  ! 

Was  it  for  this  the  sword  he  drew 

flashed  long  ago  at  Waterloo  ? 

Was  it  for  this  to  fall  and  die 

not  in  some  glorious  victory, 

not  charging  blithely  in  the  van 

with  many  a  war-stained  veteran, 

not  leading  proudly,  France,  for  thee 

the  flower  of  all  thy  chivalry ; 

but  butchered  by  a  savage  band, 

— a  nameless  skirmish  in  a  worthless  land  ? 

Dead!   ... 
Aye  !  but  as  a  man  he  died 
spotless,  undaunted,  in  his  fearless  pride ; 
fronting  the  foe  he  stood, 

fell — as  a  soldier  should  ! 


POETS'  TRIBUTES  247 

France 

O  England  !  sister,  keep  my  child  ! 

My  heart  is  rent,  my  brain  is  wild, 

a  thousand  fighting  voices  cry, 

Peace  !   Peace  !  they  call,  but  War  is  nigh. 

Love  is  but  Hate,  and  Hopes  are  Fears, 

and  blood  is  mingled  with  my  tears. 

Keep  him  awhile  :   for  thee  he  fell, 

who  loved  thee  so,  who  loved  him  well ; 

one  day,  who  knows  how  soon  it  be, 

sweet  sister,  I  shall  come  to  thee 

When  all  these  troublous  times  are  done, 
and  thou  wilt  give  them  back  to  me, 

the  exiled  father  and  the  soldier  son; 
to  lay  them  where  He  lieth  low, 
my  greatest  soldier,  and  thy  deadliest  foe. 
Here  shall  they  slumber  in  one  grave, 
'neath  the  gold  dome,  among  my  brave ; 
and  England's  tears  with  mine  shall  keep 
the  place  still  hallowed  where  they  sleep. 

F.  E.  Weatherly  (Oxford). 


By  Ityotyozi 

He  last ;   and  we  on  his  track,  with  the  rush  and  the 

roar  of  the  wind ; 
I  was  two  paces  in  front,  Sinto  and  Magok  behind. 

"  Dastard  !  "  we  cried ;  but  he  turned  him  and  faced 

us  erect,  unafraid  : 
Only  a  boy,  with  the  eye  of  a  chief  and  the  cheek  of  a 

maid. 


248     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Flickered  a  lance ;  it  was  mine — and  I  fell,  and  these 

tidings  they  bring — 
"  He  has  a  mother  will  mourn  him ;  and  he  is  the  son 

of  a  king." 

I   had   been   foremost,    with    Sinto   and    Magok    for 

second  and  third — 
On  came  our  twenty  as  one,  sweeping  down  on  the 

prey  like  a  bird. 

Handling  it  not  over  swiftly,  for  rieving  of  spoil  ere 

we  trek. 
Good,   but  the  guerdon  they  gave  him   is  hanging 

untouched  on  his  neck. 

Sinto  and  Magok  boast  high  that  their  assegais  met  in 

his  breast ; 
Craven  I  am  not,  nor  traitor,  yet  take  I  less  joy  than 

the  rest. 

Would  that But  none  may  demand  it,  the  dart 

that  has  once  taken  wing. 
No !    carry  him  back  to  his   mother.     He   was  not 

unmeet  for  a  king. 


The  Empress 

"  Quomodo  sedat  solitaria  !  " 

I 

She  sat  alone  :  and  heard  the  nation's  cry : 

*'  A  child  is  born  to  us. 
And  the  glory  of  Napoleon  shall  not  die, 

Whose  reign  is  glorious ; 
For  his  shall  be  the  sceptre,  and  his  the  power, 

And  his  the  empire  be. 


POETS'  TRIBUTES  249 

And  thou  that  art  his  mother  !  in  this  thine  hour 
What  shall  we  bring  to  thee  ?  " 

And  they  brought  her  tribute,  anH  they  gave  her  thanks 

That  she  had  borne  a  son, 
To  send  the  famous  name  down  battle-ranks — 

His  name,  Napoleon. 
And  with  grateful  heart  she  took  the  gifts  they  gave, 

And  gave  them  back  again. 
For  her  hands  were  strong  for  mercy,  swift  to  save, 

And  quench  the  fires  of  pain. 

"  Empress  of  joys  !  "  they  said  : 

"  Till  Life  and  Hope  be  dead. 
For  thy  sake  and  the  sake  of  memories, 

In  all  her  change  or  chance 

Thine  is  the  arm  of  France, 
Thine  are  our  lives,  whose  hopes  are  thine  and  his !  " 


She  sat,  an  exiled  widow,  desolate. 

Alone,  but  not  alone. 
Though  the  days  were  over  when  she  shone  in  state 

From  her  Imperial  Throne  : 
For  the  child  was  with  her,  on  whose  sanguine  face 

The  light  of  Hope  was  bright. 
And  she  girded  up  her  strength  to  run  his  race, 

Her  arms  to  fight  his  fight. 
She  abode,  a  stranger  in  an  alien  land, 

A  land  that  held  her  dear; 
For  not  widowhood  nor  exile  stayed  her  hand 

From  bounties  year  by  year; 
But  her  eyes  were  Beauty,  an9  her  heart  was  Love, 

Yea,  love  divine  indeed. 


250     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

For  she  gave  her  only  son  to  the  death,  to  prove 
Our  help  in  time  of  need. 

"  Empress  of  griefs  !  "  we  said  : 

"  This  crown  is  on  thine  head, 
That,  where  others  have  done  well,  thou  hast  done  best : 

As  once  in  France,  so  now 

In  England,  first  art  thou  : 
When  God  took  much,  thou  hast  not  spared  the  rest." 

Ill 

She  sat  alone  :   and  heard  the  nation's  cry  : 

"  Lo  !  now  the  child  is  dead. 
But  his  memory  shall  not  fade,  nor  the  halo  die 

That  shineth  round  his  head ; 
For  his  shall  be  the  glory,  and  his  the  power, 

And  his  the  kingdom  be ; 
And  he  shall  reign,  not  for  a  little  hour, 

But  everlastingly." 
Though  they  brought  not  tribute,  yet  they  gave  her 
tears 

(A  tribute  costlier  found), 
Who  was  more  their  mother  than  in  happier  years, 

An  exile  and  discrowned. 
And  they  gazed  aghast  upon  that  silent  son, 

Whose  voice  is  heard  on  high. 
But  on  her  durst  no  man  gaze,  till  the  work  was  done 

Of  her  royallest  agony. 

"  Empress  of  hearts  !  "  they  said  : 

"  Though  Life  and  Hope  be  dead. 
Lift  up  thy  crown  of  sorrows,  watch  and  pray  ! 

Yea,  though  thine  all  be  gone. 

Be  patient,  suifer  on  ! 
God  shall  restore  tenfold  on  this  great  day." 

W.  M.  Hardinge. 


POETS'  TRIBUTES  251 

To  THE  Memory  of  Napoleon  III. 
The  Brilnig  Pass 

Time  was,  a  child,  I  looked  upon  thy  face 
In  a  green  valley,  'neath  an  Alpine  height; 
Did  timorously  proffer  garlands  bright — 

Gold  daffoHils,  and  violets  of  thy  race, — 

Which  on  thy  breast  found  honoured  resting  place  : 
I  saw  thee,  Sire  !  till  the  descending  night 
Hid   thee    for   years   from    me,    with    Her — thy 
Light,— 

Borne  swiftly  downward  to  the  mountain's  base  : 

A  happy  picture,  well  remembered  yet, — 
Youth  treasures  long  what  aged  eyes  forget 
And  carves  the  shrine  which  memory  loves  to  keep  ! — 
A  picture  rimmed  with  gold  that  reapers  reap, 
Coloured  with  narcissi  an'd  mignonette, 
An'd  snows  where  day  went  flushing  up  the  steep. 

The  Tuileries 

And  now  this  portraiture  : — the  pride, — tKe  fame 
Of  Europe  met  to  do  thee  reverence  : 
Night,  losing  all  her  look  of  pale  suspense 

In  the  full  gleam  of  lights  that  went  and  came  : 

Sovereigns  around  thee  :  suzerains  whose  name 
Bejewelled  e'en  thy  gemmed  magnificence  : 
Statesmen,  and  warriors  famous  In  defence ; — 

A  court  convoked  to  chorus  thine  acclaim  ! 

And  thou,  with  face  predestined  for  reverse, 
Features  prophetic  with  impending  woe, 
Moved  'mid  the  throng, — a  shadow  in  the  glow  I 
Kind  was  thy  fortune,  even  in  its  curse — 
Within  the  better  it  forestalled  the  worse, 
And  brought  thee  naught  thy  prescience  did  not  know. 


252     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Chislehurst 

Alas,  this  final  vista  of  the  past ! — 

A  face  serene — yet  scarce  more  calm  than  life  i 
Subdued,  in  solace  of  completed  strife ; 

Dusk,  in  the  droop  of  canopies  o'ercast, 

Sleeps  in  long  rest  from  battle  and  from  blast : 

Around,  rich  bloom,  yet  quivering  with  the  knife, 
And  dewy  still,  with  tears  of  son  and  wife ; 

And  laurels,  such  as  come  with  death  at  last. 

And  none  that  seek  thy  presence  are  denied ; 

And  some  that  look  their  last  upon  thee  weep ; 
But  I,  that  see  how  death  has  beautified 

And  smoothed  the  lines  and  filled  the  furrows 

deep. 
Chime  to  mine  heart : — "  God  gives  the  weary 
sleep. 
And  summons  death  to  watch  the  calm  bedside  !  " 

J.  W.  Gilbart-Smith. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  EMPRESS  AND  SARAH  BERNHARDT 

Many  years  ago,  in  Paris,  I  became  acquainted  with 
Mme  Sarah  Bernhardt  through  the  good  offices  of 
our  mutual  friend  the  late  M.  de  Blowitz,  the 
renowned  Paris  Correspondent  of  the  "  Times," 
who,  in  1875,  by  the  magic  of  his  pen,  had 
prevented  Germany  from  repeating  her  1870  attack 
upon  France.  In  the  actress's  home.  No.  15  Rue  St 
Georges,  we  talked  (I  should  say  Mme  Bernhardt 
talked)  "  of  many  things,"  of  the  beautiful  "  Madame 
Langtry,"  and  of  the  illustrious  lady  who,  in  con- 
junction with  her  consort,  had  "  commanded  "  the 
then  Mile  Sarah  (she  spells  it  "  Sara  ")  to  appear  at 
the  Tuileries.  In  1907  the  "  divine  "  one's 
"  Memoires  "  were  issued  by  Fasquelle  (Paris), 
entitled  "  Ma  Vie,"  *  and  from  it  I  translated  portions 
of  her  spirited  account  of  her  performance  in  1869, 
at  the  Imperial  Palace  (from  which  the  Empress  fled, 
a  year  later),  of  the  late  Frangois  Coppee's  beautiful 
poem,  "  Le  Passant,"  in  which  I  first  saw  the 
actress  at  the  late  Lady  Brassey's,  in  Park  Lane  : 
Mr  and  Mrs  Gladstone  and  Lord  Granville,  and 
many  other  "  Best  of  World  "  personages,  were 
present. 

Mme  Bernhardt  tells  us  that  her  performance  at 

*  Later    an    admirable    English    version    of    the    book    was 
published  by  Mr  William  Heinemann. 

253 


254     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

the  Tuilerles  in  1869  was  given  in  honour  of 
Sophie,  Queen  of  Holland,  who  had  been  for  many 
years  on  intimate  terms  with  the  French  Sovereigns, 
and  remained  the  devoted  friend  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie  after  the  overthrow  of  the  dynasty,  an 
event  which,  I  remember,  the  Queen  of  the  Nether- 
lands had  foreseen  as  likely  to  happen.  Queen 
Sophie's  son,  the  Prince  of  Orange  ("  Citron,"  as 
he  was  familiarly  styled),  whom  the  Emperor  intro- 
duced to  the  Prince  of  Wales  (King  Edward),  was 
present;  and  the  young  actress  and  her  companions 
were  overwhelmed  with  congratulations.  Before 
the  night  of  the  performance  Mile  Bernhardt, 
accompanied  by  Mme  Guerard,  was  summoned  to 
the  Tuileries  to  be  presented  to  the  Imperial  couple. 
Comte  de  Laferriere  escorted  them  in  a  Court 
carriage.  The  vehicle  was  "  held  up  "  momentarily 
at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Royale,  and  General 
Fleury,  who  happened  to  be  passing,  came  up  and 
greeted  them.  Learning  from  the  Count  that  they 
were  going  to  the  Tuileries,  the  General  exclaimed, 
"  Bonne  chance  !  "  A  man  in  the  street  heard  the 
remark,  and  shouted,  "  '  Bonne  chance,'  perhaps; 
but  not  for  long.  They  are  a  good-for-nothing  lot !  " 
Arrived  at  the  Palace,  Mile  Bernhardt  and  Mme 
Guerard  (who  were  presently  joined  by  that  other 
brilliant  actress.  Mile  Agar)  waited  in  a  small 
"  yellow  "  salon,  while  Comte  de  Laferriere  went 
in  quest  of  the  Emperor.  Sarah  began  to  practise 
her  three  ceremonious  curtsies  before  Mme  Guerard. 
"  Mon  petit'  dame,  tell  me  if  this  is  correct,"  said  the 
actress,  who  again  curtsied,  murmuring,  with  lowered 
eyes,  "  Sire — Sire."  A  stifled  laugh  was  heard, 
and  Sarah  angrily  turned,  only  to  see  her  companion 


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SARAH  BERNHARDT  255 

bowing  to  the  ground.  It  was  the  Emperor,  who, 
much  amused  at  the  little  rehearsal  of  the  curtsies, 
clapped  his  hands  and  laughed  "  discreetly."  "  I 
blushed,  and  was  confused.  How  long  had  he  been 
there  ?  I  had  '  plunged  '  I  don't  know  how  many 
times,  saying  to  Guerard,  '  That's  too  low !  That's 
all  right,  isn't  it?'  Mon  Dieu !  Mon  Dieu ! 
Had  he  heard  all  that?  And,  despite  my  confusion, 
I  was  curtsying  when  the  Emperor,  smiling,  said, 
*  It's  useless.  It  will  never  be  prettier  than  now. 
Reserve  your  curtsies  for  the  Empress,  who  is 
waiting  for  you.'  " 

"  The  Emperor  walked  by  my  side,  speaking 
of  a  thousand  things,  to  which  I  could  only  reply 
absently.  I  found  him  more  agreeable  to  look  at 
than  his  portraits.  He  had  such  fine  eyes,  half- 
closed,  which  regarded  you  from  under  their  very 
long  lashes.  His  smile  was  sad,  and  somewhat  sly. 
His  face  was  pale,  and  his  voice  low  and 
fascinating.  .  .  .  The  Empress  was  seated  in  a 
large  arm-chair.  A  grey  dress  imprisoned  her;  she 
seemed  to  be  moulded  in  the  stuff.  I  thought  her 
pretty — prettier  than  the  portraits  made  her.  I  made 
my  three  curtsies  amidst  the  Emperor's  smiles. 

"  When  Agar  arrived,  and  had  been  presented 
to  their  Majesties,  the  Empress  led  the  way  into 
the  large  salon  in  which  the  performance  was  to  be 
given.  .  .  .  The  Prince  Imperial,  then  about  thirteen, 
arrived  presently,  and  helped  me  to  arrange  the 
flowers  on  the  platform.  He  roared  with  laughter 
when  Agar  mounted  the  steps  to  try  the  effect. 
He  was  delicieux,  the  young  Prince,  with  his 
magnificent  eyes,  with  heavy  eyelids  like  his  mother, 
and    long    eyelashes    like    his    father.     The    Prince 


256     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

was  spirituel,  like  the  Emperor — that  Emperor  who 
had  been  nicknamed  '  Louis  I'imbecile,'  and  who 
certainly  had  the  acutest,  most  subtle,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  most  generous  mind.  We  arranged 
everything  for  the  best;  and  it  was  decided  that  we 
should  come  to  the  Palace  two  days  later  to  give  a 
rehearsal  before  their  Majesties.  With  what  grace 
the  Prince  Imperial  asked  if  he  might  attend  the 
rehearsal ! — a  request  which  was  granted. 

"  The  Empress  said  '  au  revoir  '  in  the  most 
charming  manner,  and  ordered  her  two  ladies-in- 
waiting  to  see  that  we  had  biscuits  and  sherry,  and 
to  show  us  over  the  Tuileries  if  we  wished. 
Personally,  I  did  not  care  about  it,  but  '  mon  petit' 
dame  '  and  Agar  seemed  so  delighted  with  the 
Empress's  offer  that  I  fell  in  with  it.  And  I  have 
always  regretted  that  I  did  so,  for  nothing  could 
have  been  uglier  than  the  private  apartments,  except 
the  Emperor's  study  and  the  stairs.  I  was  terribly 
bored,  but  somewhat  consoled  by  some  of  the 
pictures,  really  fine  works,  and  I  stood  a  long  time 
looking  at  Winterhalter's  portrait  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie.  *  She  looked  well  like  that;  and  this 
portrait  explained  and  justified  her  unexpected  good 
fortune.  There  were  no  incidents  at  the  rehearsal. 
The  young  Prince  tried  his  hardest  to  express  his 
gratitude  to  us,  for,  as  he  could  not  be  present 
at  the  actual  performance  in  the  evening,  we  had 
made  it  a  '  dress  '  rehearsal.  He  sketched  my 
costume,  and  said  he  would  have  one  made  like  it, 
and  would  wear  it  at  the  masked  ball  which  was  about 
to  be  given  in  his  honour." 

*  This  portrait  and  one  of  Mme  Bernhardt  of  the  period  are 
given  in  the  present  volume. 


SARAH  BERNHARDT  257 

Twelve  years  later  we  in  London  saw  Mme  Bern- 
hardt in  a  salon,  and,  strange  to  say,  when  we  were 
horror-struck  by  the  slaying  of  the  dear  "  little 
Prince."  News  of  the  tragedy  in  Zululand  reached 
the  House  of  Commons  an  hour  or  two  before 
midnight  on  the  19th  of  June,  1879,  and  was  com- 
municated without  a  moment's  delay  to  the  Queen, 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  the  Duke  of  Cambridge. 
The  sad  tidings  spread  from  club  to  club,  the 
Heir-Apparent  making  it  known  at  the  "  Marl- 
borough." Precisely  how  and  when  the  Prince  of 
Wales  learned  of  what  had  happened  to  the  Imperial 
youth  we  learned,  for  the  first  time,  from  M.  Jacques 
Normand  thirty-two  years  later.  M.  Normand  wrote 
(1911): 

"  In  June,  1879,  I  was  in  London  during  the 
performances  given  by  the  Comedie  Frangaise. 
I  had  previously  written  a  comedietta,  in  one  act, 
called  '  La  Goutte  d'Eau,'  for  representation  in 
London  salons  by  Sarah  Bernhardt,  Frederic  Febvre 
and  Jules  Truffier.  One  night  my  piece  was  given 
at  the  house  of  a  grande  dame  whom  I  must  call 
Lady  X.,  *  for  her  name  has  escaped  me.  Among 
the  audience  were  the  then  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Wales.  The  piece  was  nearly  over  when  I  saw  a 
servant  give  a  telegram  to  the  Prince,  who  opened 
and  read  it  immediately.  I  could  see  by  his 
expression  that  this  telegram  had  greatly  shocked 
him.  He,  however,  preserved  his  composure,  and 
held  the  dispatch  in  his  right  hand,  without  saying 
a  word  to  anyone.  At  the  end  of  the  piece  the  Prince 
rose,  said  a  few  words  to  the  Princess  and  the 
personages  who  were  in  attendance  on  their  Royal 

*  The  Countess  of  Wilton. — Author. 


258     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Highnesses,  spoke  to  Lady  X.,  and  retired  a  few 
moments  afterwards.  The  Prince's  abrupt  departure 
caused  general  surprise,  and  the  salon  was  soon 
empty.  Frederic  Febvre  * — still  in  his  Russian 
General's  uniform — came  up  to  me  and  said  excitedly  : 
'  Do  you  know  what  has  happened.'^  '  '  No.'  '  The 
Prince  of  Wales  has  received  a  telegram  informing 
him  that  the  Prince  Imperial  has  been  killed  in 
Zululand.'  The  next  moment  we  told  Sarah  Bern- 
hardt and  Truffier,  and  doubtless  we  four  were 
the  first  French  people  to  hear  of  the  tragic  end  of 
the  poor  '  Petit  Prince,'  whom,  in  my  youth,  I  had 
seen  more  than  once  in  the  Tuileries  gardens  or 
near  the  lake." 

When  I  saw  Mme  Bernhardt  in  London,  in 
"  Les  Cathedrales,"  in  January,  191 6,  she  appeared 
to  be  almost  "  the  same  Sarah  "  as  in  the  old  days, 
despite  the  cruel  suffering  she  had  gone  through 
in  the  previous  year.  No  one  could  have  received 
the  inexpressibly  sad  news  of  the  amputation  more 
sympathetically  than  the  Empress  Eugenie,  who 
well  remembers  that  night  at  the  Tuileries  forty- 
seven  years  ago.  The  great  actress  is  twenty 
years  the  junior  of  the  Empress,  and  in  January, 
19 1 4,  was  awarded  the  coveted  Cross  of  the  Legion 
of  Honour.  She  is  a  patriot  to  the  core,  and 
since  1870  she  has  resolutely  refused  to  appear 
before  the  Kaiser  at  a  "  command  "  performance. 
But,  during  one  of  her  tours  a  few  years  ago, 
she  visited  Berlin,  and  among  her  audience  was — 
her  Imperial  enemy !  The  Huns  did  not  "  see  much 
in  her  " ;    but  that  was  to  be  expected. 

*  M.  Febvre,  as  noted  elsewhere,  survives  in  1916.  He 
is  the  oldest  living  soci^taire  of  the  Th^^tre  Fran^ais.  King 
Edward  highly  esteemed  him. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL 
Old  Friends  of  the  Empress 

A  FEW  only  of  those  who  were  best  known  to  the 
Empress  can  be  noted  in  this  obituary  record,  which 
is  brought  up  to  March,  191 6. 

The  Due  de  Bassano,  whom  I  first  met  at  Chisle- 
hurst  on  the  day  of  the  Emperor's  death,  was  a 
venerable  figure  even  at  that  date.  The  one-time 
Grand  Chamberlain  of  the  Imperial  Court  remained 
devotedly  attached  to  the  Empress,  at  Farnborough 
Hill  as  well  as  at  Chislehurst,  until  1898,  when 
his  long  career  closed.  His  successor  was  his  only 
son,  whom  many  will  remember  as  the  Marquis  de 
Bassano,  the  husband  of  a  charming  Canadian 
lady,  and  father  of  three  daughters — one  the  Comtesse 
de  Viel-Castel,  and  another  Lady  Edward  Blount. 
He  was  the  third  bearer  of  the  ducal  title,  and  with 
his  death,  in  May,  1906,  the  dukedom  became 
extinct.  The  third  Duke  had  been  an  intimate  friend 
of  the  Prince  Imperial,  and  with  Sir  Evelyn  Wood 
accompanied  the  Empress  on  her  journey  to  Zululand 
in  1880.  The  obsequies  of  the  last  Due  de  Bassano 
were  solemnised  at  the  Paris  church  of  St  Pierre  de 
Chaillot,  and  a  Mass  was  celebrated  at  the  same 
time,  for  ladies,  in  the  Chapelle  des  Catechismes, 
in  the  Avenue  Marceau. 

A  few  months  later — in  August,  1906 — there  died 
359 


26o     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

the  fifth  Due  de  Broglie,  whose  father  was  for  a  short 
time  French  Ambassador  at  our  Court.  The  fifth 
Due  fought  in  the  war  of  1870,  and  was  secretary 
of  Embassy  to  his  father  at  Albert  Gate. 

In  the  summer  of  1906  Prince  Eugene  Murat 
was  killed  when  motoring  in  Bavaria.  He  was 
the  son  of  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  Murat  (who 
married  Princesse  Eudoxia  Michaelovna,  nee  Somow), 
and  wedded,  in  1899,  the  sister  of  the  Due 
d'Elchingen  (Prince  de  la  Moskowa).  Prince  Eugene, 
who  was  only  thirty-one,  left  three  young  children. 

One  more  of  the  few  remaining  members  of  the 
House  of  Bonaparte  passed  away,  in  1907,  in  the- 
person  of  Princess  Christine  Bonaparte,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five.  Her  parentage  may  be  briefly  noted.  In 
the  year  1803  there  was  born  Prince  Charles  Bona- 
parte, a  Roman  prince  and  noble;  in  1822,  when  only 
nineteen,  he  married  Zenaide,  nee  Princesse  Bona- 
parte, who  died  in  1854,  and  three  years  later  her 
husband  died.  Their  only  son  was  Prince  Napoleon 
Charles  Bonaparte,  born  in  1839,  died  in  1890.  This 
Prince  married,  in  1859,  Christine,  Princess  Ruspoli, 
who  was  born  in  1842.  She  died  on  the  5th  of 
February,  1907,  at  Rome  after  an  illness  of  several 
months'  duration.  Prince  Napoleon  Charles  and 
Princess  Christine  Bonaparte  had  two  daughters. 
The  elder,  Princess  Mario  Zenaide,  was  born  at  Rome 
in  1870,  and  married,  in  1891,  Enrico  Gotti,  a 
lieutenant  of  infantry  in  the  Italian  army.  The 
second  daughter,  Princess  Eugenia,  was  born  at 
Grotto  Ferrata  in  1872,  and  married  at  Rome,  in 
1898,  Napoleon  Ney  Elchingen,  Prince  de  la  Mos- 
kowa. The  Prince  and  Princess  de  la  Moskowa  were 
separated  in  1903  by  a  judgment  of  the  Civil  Tribunal 


w  < 


SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL      261 

of  the  Seine.  The  two  daughters  of  the  lamented 
Princess  Christine  (Mme  Enrico  Gotti  and  Princess 
de  la  Moskowa)  were  with  their  mother  at  her  death. 
Prince  Napoleon  Charles  Bonaparte,  the  husband 
of  Princess  Christine,  was  the  grandson  of  Prince 
Lucien  Bonaparte  on  his  father's  side  and  of  King 
Joseph  on  his  mother's  side,  and,  after  serving  in  the 
French  army,  retired  to  Rome.  Princess  Christine's 
brother,  Prince  Ruspoli,  predeceased  her.  The 
Princess's  beauty,  charitable  deeds,  and  esprit 
had  made  her  a  general  favourite.  She  had  not  seen 
France  for  many  years,  but  retained  the  happiest 
memories  of  her  husband's  country. 

Early  in  1908  the  Empress  mourned  the  loss  of 
one  who  had  been  an  equerry  of  Napoleon  III., 
Prince  Stanislas  Poniatowski,  who  had  survived 
the  overthrow  of  the  dynasty  for  nearly  forty  years, 
and  whose  wife  (still  living)  was  one  of  the  ladies 
distinguished  at  the  Tuileries  by  her  beauty  and 
esprit.  A  son  of  Prince  Joseph  Poniatowski,  and 
born  at  Florence,  Prince  Stanislas  was  the  great- 
grand-nephew  of  Stanislas  Augustus,  King  of 
Poland,  and  of  that  Prince  Andre  Poniatowski  who 
was  the  father  of  the  celebrated  marshal.  Prince 
Stanislas  went  to  Paris  in  the  early  years  of  the 
Second  Empire,  and  in  1856  married  the  daughter  of 
the  Comte  Le  Hon,  Belgian  Minister  in  France. 

In  June,  1867,  Prince  Stanislas,  as  an  Imperial 
equerry,  was  dressing  to  attend  the  review  at  Long- 
champ,  at  which  the  Emperar  was  present,  having  by 
his  side  the  King  of  Prussia  and  the  Emperor 
Alexander  II.,  grandfather  of  the  present  Tsar. 
M.  Raimbeaux  entered  Prince  Stanislas's  room  in 
a  great  hurry,  and  begged  the  Prince  to  allow  him  to 


262     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

act  as  equerry  for  the  day,  as  he  was  most  anxious 
to  be  present  at  the  review.  "  You,"  said  M.  Raim- 
beaux,  "  have  been  at  these  functions  so  often, 
while  I  have  never  attended  one  of  them."  The 
Prince  did  not  relish  the  idea  at  all,  but  eventually 
he  gave  way,  and  allowed  Raimbeaux  to  take  his 
place.  What  happened  was  this.  The  two  Emperors 
were  chatting  in  their  carriage,  when  the  Pole 
Berezowski  rushed  forward  and  attempted  the 
Tsar's  life.  Raimbeaux,  in  the  nick  of  time, 
manoeuvred  his  horse  between  the  would-be  assassin 
and  the  Sovereigns,  and  so  saved  the  Tsar.  The 
bullet  struck  Raimbeaux's  horse,  and  both  the  rider 
and  his  mount  were  covered  with  blood.  Raimbeaux 
was  the  hero  of  the  day,  and  great  was  the  chagrin  of 
Prince  Stanislas.  It  would  have  been  indeed  curious 
had  he,  a  Pole  by  origin,  prevented  a  Polish 
revolutionist  from  assassinating  the  Tsar. 

Prince  Stanislas  remained  steadfast  to  his  Imperial 
convictions,  and  when  hard  times  set  in  he  pluckily 
went  on  the  Bourse,  where  he  displayed  a  great 
capacity  for  business.  At  the  clubs  he  was  most 
popular,  for  he  was  full  of  esprit  and  good  humour. 
The  members  of  the  "  Jockey  "  affectionately 
dubbed  him  "  the  King."  As  a  pigeon-shot  he 
was,  in  his  day,  almost  unrivalled,  and  almost  to  the 
last  he  was  to  be  seen  at  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  Club. 

The  Empress  had  her  favourites  as  well  as  her 
aversions.  Admiral  Jurien  de  la  Graviere  came 
in  the  first  category.  This  distinguished  sailor,  who 
died  in  1892,  stood  by  the  side  of  her  Majesty 
when  she  left  the  Tuileries  for  ever.  He  it  was 
whom  on  the  4th  of  September  the  Empress  con- 
sulted   touching    her    best    means    of    escape.      He 


SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL      263 

strongly  urged  her  to  descend  the  Seine  in  a  small 
gunboat,  the  Puebla,  which  at  the  moment  was 
moored  in  the  river,  close  to  the  Palace.  "  Impos- 
sible, my  dear  Admiral,"  replied  the  Empress; 
"  why,  at  the  first  lock  we  came  to  we  should  be 
recognised,  and  they  would  pluck  me  as  they 
would  a  violet  " — not  an  inappropriate  comparison. 

Charles  Bocher,  who  died  in  April,  1908,  was 
the  oldest  of  the  subscribers  to  the  Opera;  his 
musical  recollections  extended  over  fifty  years. 
He  had  seen  service  in  Algeria  and  in  the  Crimea, 
and  was  one  of  the  Emperor's  aides  de  camp.  More 
than  that — he  very  nearly  became  the  brother-in-law 
of  his  Imperial  Majesty;  for  the  future  Emperor, 
when  still  under  the  tutelage  of  Philippe  Le  Bas, 
was  epris  of  Mile  Bocher,  and  told  her  mother 
of  his  love  for  the  young  lady.  Mme  Bocher, 
however,  did  not  take  the  Prince  seriously,  and 
he  rode  away  from  Bale  disconsolate — for  a  time. 
The  Bochers  had  been  the  guests  (with  Mme 
Recamier,  Mile  Delphine  Gay,  afterwards  Mme  Emile 
de  Girardin;  Prince  Czartorisky,  the  Prince  de  la 
Moskowa,  and  others)  of  Queen  Hortense  at 
Arenenberg,  and  it  was  under  the  roof  of  Louis 
Napoleon's  mother  that  the  two  young  people 
had  met.  At  the  date  of  M.  Bocher's  death  he  was 
the  Empress's  senior  by  three  weeks. 

Colonel  Stoffel,  who  died  in  April,  1907,  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight,  was  one  of  three  persons  who  knew 
with  absolute  certainty  long  before  the  war  of 
1 870- 1 87 1  broke  out  that  it  was  bound  to  come 
sooner  or  later.  General  Ducrot  and  the  late 
Melanie  Comtesse  de  Pourtales  shared  his  know- 
ledge. 


264     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

One  of  the  many  old  and  attached  friends  whose 
loss  the  Emperor,  during  his  brief  exile,  had  to 
deplore  was  M.  Conti,  who  had  been  the  Sovereign's 
chef  de  cabinet.  He  was  a  Corsican  Deputy, 
but  illness  compelled  him  to  retire,  and  he  was 
succeeded  in  the  National  Assembly  by  M.  Rouher, 
whom  Gambetta  described,  in  1872,  as  "  that  lawyer 
of  the  Empire  at  bay."  The  Bonapartists  made 
a  demonstration  at  Conti's  funeral,  and  cries  of 
"  Vive  TEmpereur !  "  were  heard  in  front  of  the 
Church  of  St  Augustin,  an  edifice  largely  due  to 
the  liberality  of  Napoleon  HI.  Three  bouquets, 
sent  from  Chislehurst,  were  laid  on  Conti's  tomb. 
M.  Conti's  married  daughter,  who  had  been  one 
of  the  Empress's  "  ladies  "  at  the  Tuileries,  died  in 
1909  of  an  embolism — the  malady  which,  according 
to  the  doctors,  terminated  the  existence  of  the 
Emperor. 

In  the  roll  of  the  departed  the  name  of  Mme  Cornu 
must  find  a  place,  for  she  was  the  Emperor's  foster- 
sister,  and  was  seen  once  at  least  at  Chislehurst 
during  the  lifetime  of  Napoleon.  Hortense  Cornu, 
nee  Lacroix,  was  the  daughter  of  one  of  Queen 
Hortense's  ladies-in-waiting,  and  was  the  junior 
by  a  year  of  her  foster-brother.  The  two  children 
were  brought  up  together  until  she  was  fourteen, 
and  until  two  months  of  the  Emperor's  death  they 
corresponded  regularly,  with  the  exception  of  a 
period  of  twelve  years,  when  they  ceased  to  write  to 
each  other.  This  rupture  of  their  friendship  was 
the  result  of  the  Coup  d'lfetat  of  the  2nd  of  December. 
Hortense,  a  sincere  Republican,  was  at  the  time 
residing  at  Vincennes,  and  heard  the  fusillades 
which  terrorised  Paris.     Shortly  afterwards  Napoleon 


SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL      265 

called  upon  her,  but  from  the  top  of  the  stairs  she 
shouted  out,  sufficiently  loudly  for  him  to  hear,  that 
"  she  would  not  receive  an  assassin."  In  1856 
she  somewhat  relented,  and  wrote  congratulating 
him  upon  the  birth  of  his  son;  she  still,  however, 
refused  to  see  him,  although  she  resumed  letter- 
writing,  assisted  him  in  his  "  Life  of  Caesar,"  and 
acted  as  intermediary  between  him  and  a  band  of 
young  litterateurs,  including  Ernest  Renan  and 
Leon  Renier. 

In  1863,  after  twelve  years'  separation,  there 
was  a  reconciliation,  following  upon  a  touching  letter 
written  to  Mme  Cornu  by  the  Emperor,  who  asked 
her  to  visit  the  Tuileries  and  embrace  the  Prince 
Imperial,  then  seven  years  old. 

Mme  Cornu  thereafter  visited  the  Empress  two 
or  three  times  a  week,  but  she  never  forgot  what  had 
caused  the  rupture  of  her  friendship  with  the 
Emperor. 

The  late  Mr  Nassau  Senior  had  several  inter- 
views with  Mme  Cornu  between  1854  and  1863, 
and  had  much  to  say  about  her  in  his  "  Conversa- 
tions." "  From  to  time  to  time,"  she  told  him,  "  the 
destruction  of  our  liberties,  the  massacres  of  1851, 
the  transportations  of  1852,  the  reprisals  by  Orsini, 
rise  before  me,  anH  I  have  a  horror  of  being 
embraced  by  a  man  [Napoleon  III.]  covered  with 
the  blood  of  so  many  of  my  friends."  One  day 
she  showed  Senior  all  the  letters  written  to  her  by  the 
Emperor,  or  rather  all  those  which,  in  her  own 
words,  "  she  had  thought  worthy  of  preservation." 
Many  years  later  she  had  some  of  the  letters  copied 
and  sent  them  to  Mr  Blanchard  Jerrold,  who, 
however,   used  only  about  a   dozen  of   them   in  his 


266     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

biography  of  Napoleon  III.  M.  Salomon  Reinach 
wrote  a  biographical  sketch  of  her.  Renan  had 
intended  to  publish  the  whole  of  the  letters,  but 
he  never  did  so,  and  ultimately  they  fell  into  the 
hands  of  M.  Seymour  de  Ricci.  There  are  two 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  in  all.  For  several  years 
the  French  Government  prohibited  their  publication; 
but  in  November,  1908,  M.  de  Ricci  announced,  in 
"  La  Revue,"  that,  as  the  Government  had  with- 
drawn its  interdict,  he  would  issue  them.  In  the  letters 
(says  M.  de  Ricci)  "  all  the  events  in  the  career  of 
Napoleon  III.  pass  before  us,  thanks  to  these 
awful  scrawls,  hesitating  and  difficult  to  read." 
The  writing  recalls  the  "  feverish  hieroglyphics  " 
of  Napoleon  I.  and  that  "  mild  obstinacy  "  and 
somewhat  impersonal  personality  which,  according 
to  the  historians  of  the  Second  Empire,  were  among 
the  characteristics  of  Napoleon  III.  "  We  find 
in  these  letters  all  the  qualities  and  all  the  defects 
of  the  man  who  led  France  from  the  days  of  1848  to 
those  of  Sedan." 

The  Empress's  attached  domestic,  "  Pepa  " 
(Mme  Pollet),  one  of  her  countrywomen,  was  seen 
at  Chislehurst  for  a  brief  space.  The  air  did 
not  agree  with  her,  and  she  soon  returned  to  France, 
there  to  die.  "  Pepa  "  had  married  an  officer, 
who  fell  in  the  war  of  1870;  and  she  had  occupied 
the  post  of  treasurer  to  the  Empress  for  many  years. 

The  American  dentist,  Mr  Evans,  who  perhaps 
saved  the  Empress's  life  by  escorting  her  to  Deau- 
ville,  died  in  Paris  in  November,  1897.  ^^  the 
following  year  the  celebrated  Comte  Walewski 
passed  away.  He  was  a  natural  son  of  Napoleon  I., 
and  took  the  name  of  his  mother,  a  Polish  countess. 


SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL      267 

He  stood  high  in  the  favour  of  Napoleon  III., 
filled  many  responsible  posts,  had  been  President 
of  the  Congress  of  Paris,  Ambassador  to  England, 
and  was  "  one  of  the  dandies  "  of  the  Second 
Empire. 

General  Tiirr  died  at  Budapest  in  1908.  He 
was  at  one  time  a  confidant  of  Napoleon  III.,  and, 
by  his  marriage  with  Princess  Adelaide  Wyse- 
Bonaparte,  called  cousins  with  the  Emperor. 

The  same  year  brought  with  it  the  deaths  of 
Lord  Glenesk,  of  the  "  Morning  Post,"  whose  intimate 
friendship  with  the  Emperor  and  Empress  is  so 
well  known;  and,  in  November,  of  Comte  Davilliers 
Regnaud  de  Saint  Jean  d'Angely,  an  equerry  of 
Napoleon  III.  and  one  of  the  most  striking  figures 
of  the  Imperial  reign.  He  accompanied  the  Emperor 
in  the  Italian  campaign  of  1866  and  in  the  war 
of  1870,  and  remained  at  Chislehurst  until  his 
Imperial  master's  death. 

A  month  or  so  before  the  Empress's  eighty-third 
birthday  (May  5,  1909),  her  Majesty  heard  with 
unfeigned  regret  of  the  death  of  the  Right  Reverend 
Monsignor  Goddard,  who,  as  the  priest  of  St  Mary's, 
Chislehurst,  was  in  daily  attendance  at  Camden 
Place  from  September,  1870,  until  the  Empress's 
departure  for  Farnborough  Hill. 

A  few  weeks  previously  there  passed  away,  in 
Paris,  a  lady  whose  friendship  with  the  Empress 
extended  over  half  a  century — Mme  Gavini  de 
Campile,  nee  Comtesse  de  Raymond,  whose  husband 
was  one  of  the  most  prominent  prefets  of  the  Second 
Empire.  When  the  Gavinis  occupied  the  prefecture 
at  Nice  their  entertainments  were  the  talk  of 
the  whole   region.     Mme  Gavini's  salons  resembled 


268     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

a  court,  and  in  them  were  to  be  seen  at  various 
times  Napoleon  III.  and  the  Empress,  the  Emperor 
Alexander  II.  (grandfather  of  the  present  Tsar), 
the  Bavarian  Kings  Ludwig  and  Maximilian,  the 
late  King  Oscar  of  Sweden  and  other  august 
personages. 

Monsignor  Goddard's  death  (March  28,  1909) 
was  preceded  by  that  of  the  Due  de  Mouchy,  who  had 
married  Princesse  Anna  Murat  at  Paris  in  December, 
1865.  Antoine  Juste  Leon  de  Noailles,  sixth  Due  de 
Mouchy,  was  also  Marquis  d'Arpajon,  a  Grand 
d'Espagne  of  the  First  Class,  and  had  the  further 
distinction  of  Hereditary  Grand  Cross  of  the  Order  of 
Malta,  of  which  King  Edward  was  the  head  and 
the  German  Emperor  a  member.  The  late  Due 
was  born  in  April,  and  her  Highness  the  Duchesse  in 
February,  1841.  Their  only  son.  Prince  and  Due 
de  Poix,  died  in  1900 — their  only  daughter, 
Mile  Sabine  de  Noailles,  many  years  previously. 
The  founder  of  the  family  was  Philippe  Comte  de 
Noailles,  Duque  de  Mouchy,  who  was  born  in 
17 15,  the  Spanish  ducal  title  being  confirmed  in 
France,  first  in  18 14  by  Napoleon  I.  and  secondly 
in  1867  by  Napoleon  III.  The  late  Due,  a 
Monarchist,  was  won  over  to  the  Second  Empire 
before  his  marriage  by  the  attractive  personality 
of  the  Emperor  and  the  irresistible  fascination  of 
the  Empress  Eugenie.  It  was  said  that  the  young 
Due  was  by  no  means  anxious  to  wed  a  princess 
of  the  House  of  Murat,  on  the  ground  that  his 
Royalist  friends  would  regard  the  union  as  somewhat 
of  a  mesalliance.  The  Emperor,  however,  who 
seems  to  have  set  his  heart  on  the  marriage,  ridiculed 
the  objection,  and  the  alliance  proved  to  be  of  the 


SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL      269 

happiest,  marred  only  by  the  grievous  loss  of  the  two 
children.  All  that  money  could  give  them  the  young 
couple  had,  for  the  Due  was  enormously  rich,  and  we 
know  how  greatly  all  the  Murats  benefited  by  the 
generosity  of  Napoleon  III.  After  the  death  of 
the  Prince  Imperial  it  was  the  general  belief  that  the 
Duchesse  de  Mouchy  and  the  D'Albe  family  (as 
represented  by  the  present  Due,  the  intimate  friend 
of  King  Alfonso)  would  inherit  much  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie's  wealth.  Monsignor  Goddard  did  not 
share  that  view,  nor  do  I.  Certainly  the  widowed 
Duchesse  de  Mouchy  is  in  no  need  of  another 
golden  shower. 

General  the  Marquis  de  Galliffet  died  in  Paris 
on  July  8,  1909,  aged  seventy-nine.  He  came  of  an 
old  Dauphiny  family,  and  was  the  son  of  the  Marquis 
de  Galliffet,  Due  de  Martigues.  The  General's 
acquaintance  with  King  Edward  dated  from  the 
early  sixties.  To  Queen  Alexandra  he  had  been 
known  nearly  as  long.  The  Empress  Eugenie 
mourned  a  friend  who  had  been  a  staunch  Bonapartist 
for  fully  half  a  century. 

Promoted  to  the  rank  of  General  a  day  or  two 
before  the  crushing  defeat  of  the  French  forces  on 
September  i,  1870,  De  Galliffet's  name  is  writ 
large  in  the  annals  of  the  disastrous  Franco- 
Prussian  campaign.  "  Make  one  more  attempt  to 
get  through,  pour  I'amour  de  nos  armes !  "  shouted 
Ducrot  at  Sedan.  "  As  many  as  you  like,  General !  " 
replied  De  Galliffet,  heading  his  cavalry  for  what 
proved  to  be  a  final  charge  "  into  the  jaws  of  death." 

M.  Xavier  Feuillant,  aged  seventy-one,  died  in 
June,  1 9 14.  He  was  the  brother  of  the  Marquis  de 
Contades  and   of  the    Marquise   de    Miramon;    one 


270     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

of  the  faithful  of  Chislehurst;  a  Boulangist,  a 
cavalry  officer,  and  a  wearer  of  the  Medaille 
Militaire  (instituted  by  Napoleon  III.). 

The  Empress  has  survived  the  Marquis  de  Massa, 
the  Due  de  Rivoli,  Mme  Fortoul  (a  Minister's  wife 
who  behaved  so  rudely  to  the  then  Mile  de  Montijo 
at  an  Imperial  gathering  immediately  after  her 
engagement  to  the  Emperor),  the  Due  de  Conegliano 
(for  years  head  of  the  Imperial  Household), 
Mme  Bartholoni  (one  of  the  beauties  of  the  Second 
Empire),  General  de  Charette,  the  Baroness 
Alphonse  de  Rothschild,  M.  Emile  Ollivicr  (whose 
career  is  detailed  in  another  chapter),  and  the 
Comtesse  Edmond  de  Pourtales  (1914). 

In  November,  19 14,  the  Empress  was  distressed  at 
hearing  of  the  death  of  that  devoted  servant  of  the 
Second  Empire,  and  later  of  the  Republic,  Vice- 
Admiral  Charles  Duperre,  whose  end  came  suddenly 
at  his  chateau  of  Peychaud,  in  the  Gironde. 
Born  in  1832  he  entered  the  Imperial  Naval  School 
at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  was  a  captain  at  thirty- 
eight.  He  was  an  officier  d'ordonnance  of  the 
Emperor  when  the  war  of  1870  broke  out.  He 
wore  the  Grand  Cross  of  the  Legion  d'Honneur. 

Mme  Firmin  Raimbeaux,  who  died  in  December, 
1914,  was  the  daughter  of  the  famous  M.  Mocquard, 
the  Emperor's  ecuyer,  chief  of  his  Majesty's  cabinet, 
and  his  personal  friend.  Her  salon  was  for  many 
years  a  very  noted  one.  A  wealthy  woman,  she 
gave  much  of  her  fortune  to  the  poor  and  humble, 
and  succeeded  the  Emperor's  celebrated  cousin, 
Princesse  Mathilde,  as  president  of  the  Society 
for  Incurables. 

M.  Ernest  Pinard,  who  died  in  1909,  was  Minister 
of  the  Interior  under  the  Second  Empire.     Rochefort 


SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL      271 

attacked    him    in    the    most    virulent,    yet    amusing 
manner. 

General  de  Viel  d'Espeuilles,  who  died  in  191 3, 
had  been  closely  associated  with  the  Emperor  and 
Empress,  took  part  in  Italian  and  Mexican  campaigns, 
commanded  a  regiment  in  the  war  of  1870,  and 
was  in  the  battles  of  Wissemburg,  Reichshofen 
and  Sedan.  In  1856  he  was  the  Prince  Imperial's 
officier  d'ordonnance  after  the  boy  had  left  St  Cyr  with 
the  rank  of  lieutenant. 

In  the  same  year  M.  Edouard  Lockroy  died. 
The  Empress  remembered  him  as  a  Minister  and 
as  Vice-President  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies — 
a  Republican  prominent  in  the  last  years  of  the 
Empire,  and  consequently  in  disfavour  with  the 
Sovereigns.  He  was  related,  by  marriage,  to  Victor 
Hugo. 

The  Comte  de  la  Chapelle  died  at  an  advanced 
age,  in  Essex,  on  September  30,  19 14.  His  career  is 
detailed  in  my  second  volume,  "  The  Comedy  and 
Tragedy  of  the  Second  Empire,"  from  facts  supplied 
by  my  friend,  the  present  Count,  who  has  made 
a  reputation  as  a  practitioner  (in  London)  of  inter- 
national law.  His  father  was  an  intimate  friend 
and  assistant  of  the  Emperor  at  Chislehurst,  by 
whom,  and  by  the  Prince  Imperial,  he  was  held, 
with  reason,  in  high  esteem.  It  is  fitting  that  he 
should  find  a  record  here,  apart  from  the  fact  that  he 
was  one  of  my  most  valued  Bonapartist  friends 
and  aiders. 

On  January  8,  19 15,  at  the  Paris  church  of 
St  Pierre  de  Chaillot,  the  obsequies  of  Mme  de 
Waubert  de  Genlis  were  attended  by  the  Duchesse 
de    Conegliano    (whose    husband   was    head    of    the 


272     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Imperial  Household  until  the  fall  of  the  Second 
Empire),  the  Vicomtesse  Adrien  Fleury,  Comte 
Fleury,  and  many  other  Bonapartists.  She  was 
the  widow  of  the  general  who  had  been  an  aide-de- 
camp of  the  Emperor.  Her  sons,  Commandant 
and  Captain  de  Waubert,  conducted  the  funeral. 

M.  Emile  Ollivier  died  at  St  Gervais-les-Bains, 
Savoy,  on  August  30,  19 13,  aged  eighty-eight. 
A  chapter  is  devoted  to  him,  his  life-work,  and  his 
association  with  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress. 
Her  Majesty  and  the  eminent  statesman  did  not  always 
view  affairs  in  the  same  light. 

In  February,  1913,  M.  Antoine  Fardet,  who  had 
been  the  Emperor's  principal  equerry,  committed 
self-destruction  at  his  residence,  Pantin,  aged  seventy- 
eight. 

The  Empress's  Christmas,  191 5,  was  darkened 
by  the  death,  in  Paris,  on  December  23,  of  the 
Comtesse  Clary,  in  her  eighty-ninth  year,  the  same 
age  as  the  Imperial  lady.  The  obsequies  took 
place  four  days  later,  at  the  Church  of  St  Philippe 
du  Roule.  By  desire  of  the  deceased  lady  no 
invitations  were  sent  out;  nor  were  there  any  flowers 
or  wreaths — also  by  her  wish.  Her  husband  was 
one  of  those  who,  immediately  after  the  battle  of 
Sedan,  brought  the  Prince  Imperial  to  England 
via  Ostend.  He  was  the  boy's  "  gentleman,"  and 
it  was  his  melancholy  duty,  on  the  9th  of  January, 
1873,  to  go  over  to  Woolwich  and  tell  him  that 
his  father  was  dead.  The  lady  who  died  in  19 15 
and  her  husband  were  among  the  most  prominent 
members  of  the  little  Court  at  Chislehurst.  The 
Count  was  director-in-chief  of  the  household;  the 
Countess    was    one    of    the    Empress's    "  ladies  " ; 


SOME  VOICES  THAT  ARE  STILL      273 

and  they  enjoyed  the  full  confidence  of  the  Imperial 
pair.  Comte  Clary  had  long  predeceased  his  wife. 
Their  son,  the  present  bearer  of  the  title,  accom- 
panied the  Empress  to  Ceylon  in  1908,  and  in  the 
previous  year  was  at  Farnborough  Hill  during  the 
visit  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Spain. 

Very  many  of  our  French  allies  besides  the 
Generalissimo  and  the  Empress  regretted  the  death 
in  191 5  of  Comte  Jean  Lannes  de  Montebello,  who 
was  Marshal  Canrobert's  standard-bearer  at  Metz 
and  worthily  wore  the  coveted  Military  Medal. 
His  father,  a  general,  was  also  a  notable  soldier — an 
aide-de-camp  of  Napoleon  III.,  commandant  of 
the  corps  of  occupation  in  Rome  in  1870,  and 
twice  Ambassador  at  Constantinople.  Not  a  few 
English  people  were  more  or  less  familiar  with 
the  Montebellos'  salon,  a  centre  of  elegance  illumined 
by  the  Countess's  beauty  and  esprit,  and  will 
remember  that  the  Count  began  life  as  a  diplomatist 
and  deserted  the  "  carriere  "  for  the  army. 

On  September  30,  1915,  Captain  Ismail  de  Lesseps, 
3rd  Chasseurs  de  TAfrique,  was  killed  by  a 
German  bullet  while  commanding  the  2nd  Squadron 
in  an  attack  on  the  enemy.  He  was  the  third 
of  the  seven  sons  of  the  celebrated  originator  of  the 
Suez  Canal,  Count  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps,  a  distant 
relative  of  the  Empress.  Six  of  those  sons  now 
(19 16)  survive,  and  five  of  them  were  at  the  front  at 
the  time  of  their  gallant  brother's  death.  Also 
on  active  service  are  three  relatives  of  the  deceased 
captain,  including  the  Marquis  de  Miramon  (son-in- 
law  of  the  "  grand  Frangais,"  Ferdinand),  who  was 
not  liable  to  be  called  up,  but  enlisted.  The  canal 
was  inaugurated  in  November,  1869,  by  the  Empress 


274     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Eugenie,  by  whose  side  were  the  Emperor  of 
Austria,  the  present  Emperor  William's  father, 
and  a  number  of  other  distinguished  personages. 
Nine  months  later  came  the  war  of  1870  and  the  fall 
of  the  Second  Empire. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

BONAPARTISM   BEFORE   THE  WAR 

PRINCE      NAPOLEON,      HIS     PROPAGANDIST      COM- 
MITTEE,   AND    THE    "LITTLE    CATECHISM" 

A  YEAR  or  so  before  the  world  war  I  was  favoured 
with  copies  of  the  literature  issued  by  Prince 
Napoleon's  Comite  Central  de  Propagande  Plebisci- 
taire  (Appel  au  Peuple).  These  highly  interesting 
documents  were  courteously  sent  to  me  by  M.  Rudelle, 
a  former  Deputy,  general  secretary  of  the  Committee, 
with  full  permission  to  utilise  them  in  any  of  my 
writings.  I  had  also  a  communication  from  M.  Rene 
Querenet,  the  well-known  barrister  (Docteur  en 
Droit),  an  able  practitioner  in  the  Court  of  Appeal, 
who,  officially  representing  Prince  Napoleon,  had 
presided  at  a  congress  of  the  society  called  the 
Jeunesses  Plebiscitaires  de  France.  At  the  time 
in  question  the  adherents  of  Prince  Napoleon  were 
demonstrating  in  Paris  and  the  provinces  without 
interference  by  the  police.  At  a  great  gathering 
at  Toulon  the  local  plebiscitaires  marched  through 
the  streets,  headed  by  a  band  and  by  men  carrying 
flags  on  which  the  Imperial  eagle  was  displayed. 
At  Nimes  M.  Querenet  developed  the  "  plebiscitary 
programme  "  based  upon  the  Prince's  "  declarations  " 
made  in  London  to  a  representative  of  the  Paris 
"  Figaro,"  in  which  they  appeared  at  great  length. 
The     Prince     explained     that    what     he     and     his 

2/5 


276     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

supporters  "  wanted  was  a  Government  of  concord 
and  of  action.  If  ever  France  called  upon  him  to 
lead  her  he  would  govern  with  men  of  character  and 
experience,  including  many  Republicans  who  had 
served  their  country  in  many  capacities  during  the 
previous  thirty  years.  The  name  of  Napoleon," 
he  said,  "  was  a  programme  in  itself,  but  he  appealed 
to  no  dynastic  rights." 

"  The  regime  inaugurated  by  Napoleon  I.  and 
adopted  by  Napoleon  III.  is  that  which  is  represented 
to-day  by  their  dynastic  heir,"  wrote  a  prominent 
Bonapartist,  M.  Jules  Delafosse,  Deputy  for  Calvados, 
in  February,  1910,  adding:  "  It  is  not  impossible 
that  the  Heir  of  the  Napoleons  will  attain  to  power 
by  those  political  roads  which  political  and  social 
anarchy  fatally  opens  to  the  predestined  man.  It 
was  by  the  Consulate  or  the  Presidency  that  the 
elect  of  his  race  were  conducted  to  the  throne." 
In  a  letter  to  me  (October  6th,  191 1)  M.  Rene 
Querenet  says :  "  My  address  at  Nimes  was  a 
reproduction  of  and  a  commentary  upon  the  social 
programme  of  Prince  Napoleon.  This  programme 
the  Bonapartist  Party  will  develop  during  the  winter 
in  the  large  towns — Lille,  Bordeaux,  Tours,  etc. — as 
we  have  already  developed  it  at  Nimes." 

To  describe  the  former  machinery  of  the  Party 
in  detail  in  this  time  of  war  would  be  inappropriate, 
but  a  reference  to  one  of  the  publications  of  the 
Central  Committee  of  the  Plebiscitary  Propaganda 
issued  before  August,  19 14,  cannot  fail  to  be 
interesting  from  the  historical  point  of  view.  I 
refer  to  the  "  Petit  Catechisme  du  Plebiscitaire 
Integral,"  the  work  of  M.  Pierre  de  Cinglais.  In 
this  pamphlet  the  Bonapartist  doctrine  is  expounded 


BONAPARTISM  BEFORE  THE  WAR     277 

with  a  simplicity  which  makes  it  readily  comprehended 
by  all.  In  reply  to  a  leading  question  the  catechumen 
explains  : 

"  As  an  electoral  committee,  at  election  time,  brings 
forward  the  candidate  it  considers  the  most  eligible, 
so  we  Bonapartists  present  to  the  whole  nation  a 
Bonaparte  because  we  consider  him  the  most  worthy." 

"  But  what  is  your  answer  to  those  who  complain 
that  you  thereby  make  yourselves  partisans  of  the 
hereditary  principle?  " 

"  As  G.  Cuneo  d'Ornano,  Deputy  for  Cognac, 
has  said :  '  The  Heir  of  the  Napoleons  is  a 
candidate,  not  a  Pretender'  Should  he  not  be  elected 
he  would  bow  to  the  verdict  of  the  nation.  We 
choose  him  because,  being  a  descendant  of  the 
Bonapartes,  he  would  apply  the  Bonapartist  ideas, 
which  we  believe  are  the  best;  but  we  leave  the 
people  to  elect  him  or  not." 

"  Why  do  you  believe  Bonapartist  ideas  are  the 
best?  " 

"  Because  the  Bonapartes  have  always  shown 
themselves  to  be  the  faithful  servants  of  Democracy. 
The  proofs  of  this  are  as  follows  :  (i)  By  applying 
the  principles  of  the  French  Revolution  the  Bona- 
partes owed  their  possession  of  power  to  the  people 
only  (Plebiscites  of  the  Year  VHL,  of  the  Year  IX., 
of  the  Hundred  Years,  of  the  loth  December,  1848, 
20th  December,  1851,  and  the  21st  November,  1852); 
(2)  The  Generals  of  Napoleon  I.  were  nearly  all  of 
obscure  origin;  (3)  Napoleon  III.  gave  workmen 
the  right  to  strike,  the  right  to  hold  meetings, 
the  councils  of  prud'hommes,  endeavoured  to  abolish 
pauperism  in  France,  etc.,  etc." 

"  But   what    proof   is    there    that    the    descendant 


278     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

of  the  Bonapartes,  being  once  in  power,  would  put 
their  ideas  in  practice  ?  " 

"  He  cannot  fail  to  carry  on  the  tradition;  he 
owes  it  to  himself  to  respect  his  ancestors'  ideas; 
and  should  he  fail  to  do  so  the  people  would  crush 
him  as  readily  as  they  raised  him  to  power." 

"  So  that  you  leave  everything  to  the  People?  " 

"  Absolutely  everything.  In  a  Democracy  the 
People  are  the  sole  masters,  and  the  Napoleons 
(they  have  said  so  themselves)  are  but  their  servants." 

"  And  supposing  the  People  wish  to  retain  the 
Parliamentary  Republic  and  the  Constitution  of 
1875 — what  then?  " 

"  We  should  bow  to  the  sovereign  will  of  the 
People,  and  withdraw  the  candidature  of  Prince 
Napoleon." 

"  Supposing  he  desired  to  be  King}  " 

"  We  could  only  make  the  same  answer." 

"  What  is  your  reply  to  those  who  tell  you  that  they 
see  in  the  Plebiscite  the  road  to  a  Dictatorship  ?  " 

"  Our  answer  is  that  the  People,  who  are  sufficiently 
powerful  to  elect  their  Chief,  are  also  strong  enough 
to  overthrow  him,  should  he  exceed  his  rights,  and  are 
intelligent  enough  to  choose  a  good  Chief,  and  not  a 
tyrant." 

"  Are  all  Bonapartists  in  favour  of  the  Plebiscite  ?  " 

"  If  they  are  not,  they  ought  to  be.  Prince 
Napoleon  has  a  hundred  times  himself  advised 
his  partisans  to  demand  solely  the  Plebiscite.  Those, 
therefore,  who  are  not  in  favour  of  it  fail  in  their  duty 
and  are  schismatic  Bonapartists." 

"  But  is  not  universal  suffrage,  as  it  actually  exists, 
the  equivalent  of  the  Plebiscite?  " 

"  No ;  -  firstly,  because  it  is  not  applicable  to  the 


BONAPARTISM  BEFORE  THE  WAR     279 

Presidential  and  Senatorial  elections;  and,  secondly, 
because  it  gives  scope  for  the  exercise  of  illegitimate 
influence  in  communities,  leading  to  the  purchase 
of  consciences.  Lamartine  said  :  '  You  can  poison 
a  glass  of  water,  but  not  a  river.  An  Assembly- 
is  corruptible,  but  the  People  are  incorruptible, 
like  the  ocean.'  It  is  easy  to  buy  some  thousands  of 
votes,  but  impossible  to  buy  millions." 

"  What  do  you  understand  precisely  by  the  word 
'People'.?" 

"  The  collective  population  of  French  citizens — 
rich  and  poor,  masters  and  workmen,  princes  of 
science  and  the  illiterate,  without  distinction." 

"  Is  the  Plebiscitary  doctrine  a  purely  Bonapartist 
doctrine?  " 

"  No;  it  was  bequeathed  to  the  Bonapartists  by 
the  National  Convention,  which,  on  the  21st  of 
September,  1792,  proclaimed  the  principle  of  the 
direct  Sovereignty  of  the  People." 

"  In  what  terms  was  that  principle  enunciated  ?  " 

"  In  these  :  '  There  cannot  be  a  Constitution  until 
it  is  accepted  by  the  People.'  " 

"  Name,  besides  the  Napoleons,  some  other  famous 
Plebiscitaires." 

"  Jean-Jacques  Rousseau,  Chapelier,  Malouet, 
Washington,  Condorcet,  Herault  de  Sechelles, 
Danton,  Ledru-Rollin,  Lamartine,  Henri  Rochefort, 
Gambetta,  etc.,  etc." 

"  What  is  your  answer  to  those  who  upbraid 
Napoleon  III.  for  making  war  in  1870?  " 

"  That  Bismarck,  in  his  '  Memoirs,'  proves  that 
the  war  was  desired  by  himself ;  that  it  was  rendered 
inevitable  after  his  falsification  of  the  Ems  telegram; 
and,    further,    that    it    was    wanted    by    the    French 


28o     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

people,  who,  in  the  streets  of  Paris,  shouted,  '  A 
Berlin  !     A  Berlin  !  '  " 

"  And  what  is  your  reply  to  those  who  reproach 
Napoleon  III.  for  the  capitulation  of  Sedan?  " 

"  We  say  that,  defeated  by  the  treason  and  the 
incapacity  of  the  Generals  thrust  upon  him  by 
the  Parliamentary  system,  with  his  army  lacking 
everything,  and  with  thousands  of  men  who  would 
have  been  inevitably  sacrificed,  Napoleon  III.,  whose 
kindheartedness  was  proverbial,  preferred  the  saving 
of  their  lives  to  his  crown,  thereby  revealing  perhaps 
the  finest  trait  in  his  character,  for  it  proved  his 
pity  for  his  troops  and  his  self-abnegation." 

"  What  is  your  answer  to  those  who  repeat  the 
words,  attributed  to  the  Empress  Eugenie,  '  This 
is  my  war  ' }  " 

"  That  it  is  a  calumny,  and  also  inept,  like  most 
so-called  'historical  words  ';  that  not  a  single  witness, 
worthy  of  credence,  heard  her  use  the  words;  and 
that,  besides,  such  a  phrase  seems  most  unlikely 
to  have  been  uttered  by  a  woman  who  so  often,  at  the 
peril  of  her  life,  in  times  of  epidemics,  visited 
those  suffering  at  the  hospitals." 

"  The  Napoleons,  then,  were  all  perfect?  " 

"  No  one  is  perfect  in  this  world,  but  they  were 
faithful  democrats,  and  always  did  the  utmost 
possible  for  the  good  of  the  people,  in  which  respect 
their  government  approached  perfection." 

"  Can  you,  in  a  few  words,  and  by  citing  some 
facts,  institute  a  comparison  between  the  Empire 
and  the  Third  Republic?  " 

"  Yes.  Under  the  Empire — Austerlitz,  Wagram, 
Eylau,  Friedland,  etc.,  etc.  Under  the  Republic 
— Fashoda  !     Under  the  Empire — Suez.     Under  the 


BONAPARTISM   BEFORE  THE  WAR     281 

Republic — Panama  !  Under  the  Empire — the  Con- 
cordat, religious  peace  and  national  reconciliation. 
Under  the  Republic — fraudulent  denunciation  of 
a  contract  dating  back  more  than  one  hundred  years, 
proscriptions,  spoliations,  organised  robbery  !  Under 
the  Empire — prosperity  for  everyone.  Under  the 
Republic — misery  for  all !  " 

M.  Rene  Querenet  undertook  to  explain  the 
relations  which  should  be  maintained  between 
Bonapartism  and  capital  and  labour  ("  Ce  que  devra 
etre  un  Gouvernement  Napoleonien  dans  ses  rapports 
avec  le  capital  et  la  travail  ").  Those  who  have 
had  the  advantage  of  hearing  this  eminent  advocate 
in  the  Court  of  Appeal  will  the  most  readily  admit 
his  qualification  to  instruct  his  countrymen  on  this 
all-important  point.  I  summarise  his  statements. 
The  situation  (he  argued  in  191 1)  was  the  same 
after  as  it  was  before  the  great  paralysing  strike 
of  19 10.  Nothing  had  been  done  to  avert  the 
real  danger  which  increasingly  exasperated  the 
working  classes.  There  was  anarchy  even  in 
the  councils  of  the  Government.  How,  then, 
could  people  be  surprised  at  its  spread  among 
the  masses  ouvrieres?  One  explained  the  other. 
There  was  the  danger  which  threatens  the  country. 
What  was  the  remedy?  Prince  Napoleon  had  for 
many  years  closely  studied  social  questions.  He 
understood  them  thoroughly,  and  he  knew  that  it 
was  with  these  questions  that  a  new  Ruler  and  a  new 
Rule  would  have  to  deal  before  all  others.  What 
could,  what  ought  a  Government  to  be  which  would 
have  at  its  head  a  Bonaparte?  The  great  problem 
was  the  economic  problem.  Purely  political 
questions  were  minor  matters  in  comparison  with  that. 


282     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

What  said  the  First  Consul?  "Tout  pour  le  peuple  et  par 
le  peuple."  To  all  alike — to  the  landed  proprietors,  to  the 
directors  of  great  associations  with  huge  capitals,  to  all  who 
take  responsibility  for  the  sums  necessary  for  competition 
in  the  world's  markets,  to  all  who,  aided  by  capital,  strive 
to  make  France  richer  and  greater — to  all  we  say,  "  A 
Napoleonic  Government  will  give  you  protection."  Its 
doctrine  makes  such  a  duty  imperative.  In  the  Austrian 
campaign  the  Great  Emperor  wrote  on  a  report  drawn  up  by 
Portal^s  concerning  the  expropriation  of  private  property  for 
public  use,  in  consideration  of  a  just  indemnity  :  "  Napoleon, 
with  all  his  victories  and  all  his  armies,  ought  not  to  have 
the  power  of  entering  the  field  of  the  humblest  peasant  in 
France."  Marvellous  words,  stamped  with  the  mark  of 
genius — words  which  comprise  all  our  past  and  all  our  future. 

A  Napoleonic  government  could  not  act  in 
opposition  to  those  sovereign  words  of  the  Emperor, 
penned  at  Schonbrunn  :  "  It  has  been  in  the  past,  it 
will  be  in  the  future,  the  guardian  of  the  property 
which  is  necessary  for  the  existence  and  the  prosperity 
of  the  country." 

"^'For  a  century  the  French  bourgeoisie,  in  its  egotism  a  la 
Guizot,  in  its  spirit  of  routine,  had  dominated  what  remained 
of  the  nobility  and  the  clergy  since  they  were  annihilated 
in  1789  by  the  Tiers-fetat,  and  had  ignored  the  working 
masses,  their  needs,  and  their  desires.  One  man,  and  one 
man  only,  since  1789,  gave  heed  to  the  wants  of  the  people — 
Napoleon  III.,  Emperor  of  Labour,  Emperor  of  the  Toilers, 
as  Napoleon  I.  was  Emperor  of  the  Soldiers.  It  was 
Napoleon  III.  who  established  the  Caisse  Nationale,  which 
provided  old-age  pensions ;  who  gave  the  country  the  law 
developing  self-help  societies  and  making  them  obligatory  in 
every  commune ;  who  gave  French  workmen  the  right  of 
coalition — the  natural  right  of  a  man  to  work  or  not  to  work, 
which  in  current  phraseology  is  improperly  called  the  right 
to  strike ;  and  who  established  for  all  workers,  in  town  and 
country  alike,  accident  insurance  societies,  which  also  assisted 
the  infirm.     "  Encore  et  toujours  Napoleon  III." 


BONAPARTISM  BEFORE  THE  WAR     283 

All  the  work  of  the  Third  Republic  (argued 
M.  Querenet)  had  its  germ  in  the  social  legislation  of 
the  Second  Empire.  What  were  the  conquests  of 
the  Republic  since  1870,  in  forty  years  of  power 
which,  from  the  political  standpoint,  was  tyrannical? 
The  Republic  passed  the  law  of  1898  concerning 
accidents  to  workers.  It  also  passed  measures 
restricting  the  liberty  of  the  individual,  laws  limit- 
ing the  hours  of  labour.  Such  was  the  sum  of 
the  Republic's  social  work  (as  M.  Querenet  asserted 
in  191 1). 

M.  Rudelle,  in  a  letter  to  me,  said :  "  I  send 
you  a  copy  of  Prince  Napoleon's  '  Declarations.' 
This  manifesto  summarises  the  Prince's  previous 
*  declarations,'  and  may  be  considered  as  the  most 
exact  formula  of  the  principles  of  the  Plebiscitary 
Party." 

The  Prince  wrote,  inter  alia :  "  Those  would  be 
mistaken  who  thought  I  was  animated  by  a  spirit 
of  blind  and  systematic  opposition  "  (to  the  existing 
Republic).  "  I  am  not  a  creator  of  disorders.  I 
will  not  associate  myself  with  manoeuvres  which 
would  increase  the  troubles  of  the  country,  com- 
promise its  interests,  and  risk  paralysing  the  action  of 
the  Government  of  my  country.  I  place  above 
everything  my  care  for  the  happiness  and  tranquillity 
of  France.  I  need  not  say  that  very  many  politicians 
believe  that  Parliamentarism  has  arrived  at  the  last 
phase  of  its  evolution.  The  Chambers  cannot 
even  (in  June,  191 1)  vote  the  Budget.  It  is  the 
reign  of  incoherence.  The  disorder  which  is  engen- 
dered ends  in  all  kinds  of  manifestations  of  anarchy — 
post  office  and  railway  strikes,  jacquerie  in  the 
Marne  and  in  the  Aube,  and  a  repetition  of  scan'dals 


284     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

in  all  branches  of  the  Administration.  We  are 
dying  of  absent  authority  and  false  democracy. 
The  Plebiscitaires  do  not  seek  to  secure  the  triumph 
of  a  Party.  They  appeal  to  all  Frenchmen  who 
recognise  the  sovereignty  of  the  People  and  the 
necessity  of  a  national  and  strong  authority,  by 
whatever  name  it  may  be  called,  and  an  escape  from 
Parliamentary  intrigues  and  caprices.  The  number 
of  such  people  is,  believe  me,  immense.  They 
want  to  formulate  their  desires.  The  Plebiscitary 
movement  will  teach  them  their  strength  and  lead 
them  to  victory.  To  summarise  my  policy  in  a 
word,  it  is  the  policy  of  the  Consulate." 

An  extraordinary  sign  of  the  development  of 
twentieth-century  Bonapartism  was  apparent  in  Paris 
in  191 1.  A  Parliamentary  election  was  impending 
in  the  seventeenth  arrondissement,  and  the  surprised 
electors  were  confronted,  on  the  eve  of  the  polling, 
by  seeing  on  the  walls  a  placard  containing  a 
recent  "  manifesto  "  of  Prince  Napoleon,  headed 
with  a  request  to  the  electors  to  read  the  Prince's 
"  declarations  "  before  depositing  their  votes  in  the 
urns.  The  electors  were  also  invited  to  insist  upon 
the  candidates  promising  to  vote  for  measures 
permitting  the  exiled  Prince  to  return  to  France, 
and  for  revising  the  constitutional  laws  "  in  order 
that  universal  suffrage  may  give  the  Republic  a 
Chief  and  a  Government  which  would  govern. 
Only  Prince  Napoleon,"  it  was  added,  "  can 
re-establish  in  our  democracy  that  order  and  authority 
which  are  the  essential  guarantees  of  liberty."  By 
the  Prince's  instructions,  this  method  of  propaganda 
was  to  be  adopted  only  at  the  general  elections 
throughout    the    country.     M.    Rudelle    had    begun 


BONAPARTISM  BEFORE  THE  WAR     285 

the  organisation  of  "  regional  "  and  departmental 
committees,  and  appointed  correspondents  in  all  the 
arrondissements.  Subsequently  the  various  Political 
Committees  of  the  Bonapartist  Party  were  fused, 
and  the  new  organisation  was  given  the  title  of 
"  Plebiscitary  Political  Committee,"  and  placed 
under  the  direct  personal  presidency  of  Prince 
Napoleon. 

For  the  first  time  the  Government  of  the 
Third  Republic  was  confronted  in  1911-1912  by  a 
"  serious  "  Bonapartist  opposition — peaceful,  it  is 
true,  or  it  would  not  have  been  countenanced  by 
the  Heir  of  the  Napoleons,  but  resolute,  well 
organised,  and  presumably  not  lacking  the  wherewithal 
to  carry  on  its  operations.  Significant  for  its  boldness 
was  the  prominent  position  given  by  the  propagandists 
to  the  Emperor  Napoleon  HI.  and  his  work.  This 
was  certainly  courageous,  and  many  might  possibly 
have  seen  in  it  an  indication  that  the  bitter  feeling 
with  which  the  Empress  Eugenie's  ill-fated  consort 
was  regarded  for  so  many  years  after  the  "  down- 
fall "  was  gradually  disappearing,  although  it  might 
be  inaccurate  to  say  it  had  entirely  vanished. 
But  France  has  learnt  much  from  M.  Emile 
OUivier's  great  work,  "  L' Empire  Liberal,"  and  was 
in  a  position  to  judge  fairly  and  squarely  the 
merits  and  demerits  of  that  Second  Empire 
which  I  have  described.  Like  other  sovereigns, 
Napoleon  HL  had  the  defects  of  his  qualities. 
It  is  incontestable  that  France  prospered  under 
his  rule  of  more  than  eighteen  years. 

To  fete  the  anniversary  of  Prince  Louis  Napoleon's 
election  as  President  of  the  Republic  the  Plebiscitary 
Committees    of   the    Seine    gave   a    banquet   at    the 


286     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Salon  des  Families,  presided  over  by  the  Marquis  de 
Dion  in  the  absence  of  Prince  Murat  owing  to 
illness.  The  Pretender  wrote  from  Brussels  :  "  In 
commemorating  once  more  the  great  popular  move- 
ment of  the  loth  of  December,  1848,  the  Plebiscitary 
Committees  of  the  Seine  show  their  unalterable 
attachment  to  the  souvenirs  and  the  principles  which 
are  dear  to  me.  It  is  more  than  ever  necessary 
to  preserve  strict  discipline  in  the  ranks  of  the 
Plebiscitary  Party.  Work  to  make  the  voice  of 
France  heard." 

And  Prince  Murat  wrote  :  "  More  and  more  the 
Napoleonic  spirit  is  spreading  in  France.  When 
all  France,  with  some  exceptions,  is  Bonapartist 
in  doctrine  the  coming  of  Bonaparte  cannot  be 
long  delayed." 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE  EMPRESS  A  SUCCESSFUL 
DEFENDANT  (1913) 

M.  Pierre  Thierry  resides,  or  did  reside,  in  the  little 
town  of  Luynes,  which  is  dominated  by  the  ruins 
of  the  old  chateau  of  the  Due  de  Luynes;  and 
early  in  1907  he  began  a  lawsuit,  claiming  from  the 
Empress  Eugenie,  "  domiciled  at  Villa  Cyrnos, 
Cap  Martin,"  the  sum  of  4,800,000  francs.  How 
did  M.  Pierre  Thierry  come  to  be,  as  he  alleged,  a 
creditor  of  the  Empress  for  so  large  a  sum  as 
;^  192,000?  M.  Thierry's  story  may  be  summarised. 
It  is,  of  course,  ex  parte. 

In  1855,  Napoleon  III.,  finding  himself  short  of 
cash,  borrowed  3,000,000  francs  (;^  120,000)  at  four 
per  cent,  of  M.  Martin  Thierry,  a  wealthy  shipowner 
of  Nantes,  who  disappeared  in  1862,  and  died  in 
1865.  The  loan  was  repayable,  with  interest,  on 
July  I,  1870.  On  that  date  Pierre  Thierry,  grand- 
nephew  of  Martin  Thierry,  and  claiming  to  be 
his  grand-uncle's  heir-presumptive,  demanded  pay- 
ment of  the  Emperor.  Napoleon  III.,  it  was  alleged 
by  M.  Pierre  Thierry,  recognised  the  validity  of 
his  claim  as  heir-presumptive  of  his  grand-uncle, 
and,  being  unable  to  pay,  gave  a  new  bill,  promising 
to  liquidate  the  debt  in  fifteen  years  from  July  i, 
1870. 

The   Emperor's   alleged  promissory   note   was   as 
follows  : — 
287 


288     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Napoleon,  by  the  Grace  of  God  and  the  National  will, 
Emperor  of  the  French,  to  all  present  and  to  come,  greeting  ! 

The  year  1870,  the  4th  of  July,  in  presence  and  at  the  request 
of  our  General  Aide-de-Camp  Reille  and  our  Commandant 
Clary,  sous-chef  of  the  staff,  who  have  presented  to  us  MM. 
Dr  Caulet,  Mayor  of  Luynes  (Indre-et-Loire),  and  Thierry 
(Pierre),  farmer,  born  at  Luynes  (Indre-et-Loire),  heir-presump- 
tive of  the  late  M.  Thierry  (Martin),  born  at  Luynes,  shipowner, 
deceased  abroad,  according  to  the  declaration  officially  made 
to  us  by  the  Mayor  of  Luynes  this  day. 

For  these  reasons,  and  in  view  of  the  circumstances,  ack- 
nowledging that  M.  Pierre  Thierry  is  owed  the  sum  of  4,800,000 
francs,  at  four  francs  per  cent,  per  annum,  interest  included,  at 
this  date,  on  a  sum  of  3,000,000  francs  at  four  francs  per  cent, 
per  annum,  which  had  been  handed  to  us  as  a  loan,  in  the  year 
1855,  by  the  late  M.  Martin  Thierry,  and  payable  on  July  ist, 
1870. 

Consequently,  and  in  view  of  the  declarations  of  the  Mayor 
of  Luynes,  acknowledging  as  good  and  valuable  the  said 
declarations ; 

We  promise 
to  repay  this  sum  from  our  personal  fortune  the  ist  of  July, 
1885,  into  the  hands  of  M.  Pierre  Thierry,  here  present,  and 
accepting  the  present  agreement  in  the  presence  of  the  persons 
accompanying  him.  In  faith  of  which  we  declare  the-  present 
contract  imprescriptible  and  insaissable  [not  to  be  distrained]. 

Tel  (sic)  est  notre  volont^. 

Given  at  Paris,  under  our  reign,  the  day  and  year  specified. 

It  may  well  be  wondered  why  M.  Pierre  Thierry 
did  not  present  the  promissory  note  in  1885.  His 
reply  was  that  it  was  lost.  "  Fearing  the  Prussians," 
M.  Thierry  said  he  concealed  the  note  so  carefully 
that  he  could  not  find  it.  He  only  discovered  it 
about  1905,  and  then  he  could  not  commence  an 
action  for  the  recovery  of  the  loan  as  he  had  not 
sufficient  funds. 

It  was  asked  if  M.  Thierry  was  certain  that  he  had 
an    audience    of    the    Emperor    on    July    ist,    1870, 


A  SUCCESSFUL  DEFENDANT        289 

and  received  the  paper  from  the  Emperor's  hands, 
and  how  it  happened  that  no  trace  of  this  alleged 
debt  was  found  in  the  secret  papers  seized  at  the 
Tuileries  after  September  4,  1870,  or  in  the  papers 
preserved  by  the  Empress  Eugenie.  In  1855 
the  Emperor  was  at  the  height  of  his  power.  The 
Treaty  of  Paris  (1856)  had  marked  the  end  of 
the  Crimean  war;  and  when  the  Emperor  was 
asked  why  he  did  not  demand  the  payment  of  a 
war  indemnity  by  Russia,  Napoleon  III.,  who 
had  good  reasons  for  conciliating  the  enemy  of 
1 854- 1 85 5,  answered,  "  France  is  rich  enough  to 
pay  for  its  glory  !  " 

The  Emperor  was  married,  and  it  was  the  year 
of  the  first  Universal  Exhibition,  for  the  purposes  of 
which  the  Palais  de  ITndustrie,  in  the  Champs 
Elysees,  had  been  built.  France  was  indeed  rich,  and 
the  Emperor  all-powerful.  He  certainly  borrowed 
money,  and  also  made  advances  to  the  State  from 
his  civil  list,  which  was  of  the  respectable  figure 
of  ;^  1,600,000  per  annum.  He  improved  out  of  his 
privy  purse  part  of  the  Sologne,  and  fertilised  the 
Landes  and  properties  at  Ox  and  Labenne.  But  he 
paid  off  his  loans  in  France  as  he  had  liquidated  those 
which  he  made  in  England  when  he  was  first  an 
exile  here.  He  also  repaid  what  he  borrowed 
on  account  of  the  coup  d'etat  which  placed  him  on 
the  throne,  giving  monthly  drafts  of  from  20,000  to 
50,000  francs  upon  his  civil  list.  Still,  the  story 
of  the  first  promissory  note  which  he  gave  to 
Martin  Thierry,  about  which  nothing  was  known, 
was  surprising,  and  even  more  astonishing  was  that  of 
the  renewed  bill  alleged  to  have  been  given  to 
Pierre  Thierry. 


290     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

A  Paris  lawyer  expressed  this  opinion  :  "  Every 
document  acknowledging  a  debt  is  evidence  in  a 
court  of  law.  In  principle  it  must  be  registered; 
but  the  Thierry  document,  coming  from  the  Sovereign, 
was  not  subject  to  registration.  It  must,  therefore, 
be  ascertained  if  the  signature  is  genuine;  if  the 
document  is  authentic;  but  even  if  it  should  be 
proved  to  be  authentic  it  would  now  be  null  and  void 
owing  to  the  lapse  of  thirty  years  since  the  trans- 
action, if  the  person  concerned,  as  appears  probable, 
has  not  performed  any  '  acte  interruptif  de  la 
prescription  '  [i.e.  if  the  alleged  debt  has  not  been 
'kept  alive']." 

Not  unnaturally,  exception  was  taken  to  the  form 
of  the  document  said  to  have  been  given  by  the 
Emperor.  The  Emperor  never  wrote,  in  documents 
emanating  from  him  personally,  "  '  our  '  general," 
but  "  '  the  '  general  " ;  nor  would  he  have  written 
"  '  our  '  Commandant  Clary,"  more  especially  as 
the  Comte  Clary  in  question  (later  of  Chislehurst) 
was  a  simple  captain  on  July  i,  1870,  and  was  only 
promoted  to  be  commandant  a  fortnight  afterwards, 
because,  after  applying  to  serve  in  the  campaign, 
he,  after  the  declaration  of  war,  consented,  at  the 
request  of  the  Empress,  to  remain  with  the  Prince 
Imperial.  Again,  the  rank  of  "  sous-chef  "  of  the 
general  staff  did  not  exist  in  1870.  At  that  date 
there  was  neither  chef  nor  sous-chef  of  the  general 
staff.  Marshal  Vaillant  had  been  "  Major-General 
of  the  Army  "  during  the  war  with  Italy,  and 
Marshal  Leboeuf  had  discharged  the  same  functions 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  in  1870;  but  there 
was  no  "  chef  d'etat-major  general  "  until  after  the 
war,  when  the  army  was  reorganised.     One   cannot. 


A  SUCCESSFUL  DEFENDANT        291 

therefore,  imagine  a  simple  captain  "  sous-chef 
d'etat  major." 

In  the  opinion  of  some  French  lawyers,  proceedings 
should  have  been  taken  by  the  claimant,  not  against 
the  Empress,  but  against  the  State.  The  plaintiffs 
"  statement  of  claim  "  was  ridiculed ;  it  was  described 
as  a  document  "  which  might  have  been  drawn 
up  by  some  village  scribe." 

There  was,  indeed,  it  was  affirmed,  a  Napoleon  who 
played  a  part  in  this  farcical  business,  but  it  was  not 
Napoleon  III.  Napoleon  I.,  several  years  before  the 
"  coup  d'etat  of  Brumaire,"  seized,  in  1797,  at  Venice, 
during  his  Italian  campaign,  the  property  of  one 
Jean  Thiery  (with  one  "  r  "),  a  French  navigator, 
engaged  in  commerce,  who  is  said  to  have  died 
on  the  banks  of  the  Arno  in  September,  1676  !  Now, 
would  not  the  present  claimant,  Pierre  Thierry  (with 
two  "  r's  "),  of  Luynes,  be  also  one  of  the  heirs  of 
that  Jean  Thiery,  whose  fortune  is  stated  to  have 
amounted  to  59,549,000  francs  (;^2,38i,96o)?  The 
heirs  of  that  Jean  Thiery,  whose  numbers  have 
gone  on  increasing  since  1676,  at  various  times 
brought  sensational  actions  against  the  State  in  order 
to  recover  the  fortune  which  they  coveted. 

The  question  may  well  be  asked.  Why  did  the 
young  General  of  the  Directory,  afterwards  Napoleon  I., 
confiscate  the  navigator's  millions.'*  The  explana- 
tion is  given  in  the  reports  of  a  debate  in  the 
National  Assembly  in  1791.  "  For  the  sake  of 
humanity  " — so  runs  one  of  the  reports  of  those 
proceedings — "  the  National  Assembly  ought  to  come 
to  the  succour  of  those  individuals  "  (so  the  heirs  of 
Jean  Thiery  were  described),  "  2000  in  number, 
who,  although  they  were  recognised  by  the  Courts  as 


292     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

the  legitimate  heirs  of  Jean  Thiery,  were  unable 
to  obtain  from  the  Republic  of  Venice  the  succession 
which  they  claimed  without  the  protection  of  the 
Government.  From  a  political  point  of  view  it 
concerns  France  to  see  that  those  sums  of  money 
should  be  returned  to  France." 

Several  years  later  Bonaparte  promised  that  they 
should  be  returned.  The  Tribunal  of  the  Seine 
delivered  five  judgments  (in  1822,  1826,  1827,  1831 
and  1833)  acknowledging  that  the  rights  of  the 
heirs  were  legal.  Despite  these  decisions,  however, 
the  Courts  were  unable  to  order  the  restitution  of 
the  succession  to  Jean  Thiery's  numerous  heirs. 
The  Minister  of  Finance  confirmed  this  view  in 
1890,  stating  that  Bonaparte's  action  in  taking 
possession,  by  order  of  the  Directory,  of  the  Thiery 
millions  and  the  documents  concerning  them  was  an 
act  of  Government  subject  to  the  control  and  judgment 
of  Parliament  only. 

A  commission  appointed  by  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  met  on  the  29th  of  May,  1890,  and 
reported  to  Parliament  that  the  Thiery  inheritance 
existed,  and  that  the  claims  of  the  heirs  were  perfectly 
legitimate;  "  the  facts,"  said  the  commission,  "  are 
incontestable."  I  quote  textually  from  the  report 
of  the  commission  : 


That  Bonaparte,  who,  in  1797,  became  master  of  Italy  by 
force  of  arms,  seized,  in  the  name  of  the  French  State,  and 
by  virtue  of  the  orders  which  were  regularly  given  to  him  by 
the  Directory,  the  Thiery  property. 

That  all  the  attempts  made  by  the  heirs  since  that  epoch 
have  been  without  result;  and  that,  finally,  the  State  remains 
the  detainer  of  the  monies,  which  have  never  been  returned 
[to  the  rightful  owners]. 


A  SUCCESSFUL  DEFENDANT        293 

On  the  1 8th  of  March,  1891,  the  question  came 
before  the  Chamber  of  Deputies.  M.  Letellier,  the 
"  reporter,"  or,  as  we  say,  the  chairman,  of  the 
commission,  declared  that  "  if  the  State,  in  the 
exercise  of  its  sovereign  power,  had  believed,  in 
the  exceptional  and  urgent  circumstances,  that  it 
could  use  funds  of  which  it  was  only  the  depositary 
and  administrator,  it  ha'd  no  right  to  take  possession 
of  the  monies  and  use  them  as  against  the  wishes  of 
legitimate  owners." 

On  the  i6th  of  November,  1892,  M.  Thomon,  then 
the  "  reporter  "  of  the  commission,  informed  Parlia- 
ment of  the  conclusions  arrived  at  by  that  body. 
Parliament  could  not  be  considered  either  as  a  legal 
tribunal  or  as  a  court  of  appeal.  It  had  neither  the 
qualifications  nor  the  competency  to  decide  as  to  the 
validity  of  the  petitions  formulated  by  the  heirs 
concerning  the  filiation  of  the  descendants  of  Jean 
Thiery,  or  upon  the  value  of  the  different  appeals 
brought  since  1676. 

The  effect  of  all  this  may  be  summed  up  in 
a  sentence.  The  law  courts  declared  their  incom- 
petency to  detide  the  questions  at  issue,  and  referred 
them  to  Parliament ;  Parliament  replied  that  the  matter 
did  not  come  within  its  scope,  and  remitted  the  case 
back  to  the  tribunals  ! 

M.  Thierry  said  in  1907  :  "  I  have  taken,  but 
vainly,  numerous  steps  with  Government  after 
Government.  My  claims  are  just  and  legitimate. 
The  heaping  up  of  the  millions  has  scared  everybody. 
Lately,  M.  Rouvier,  when  he  was  in  power,  declined 
to  let  anybody  speak  to  him  on  the  subject.  Had 
I  wished  to  do  so,  I  could  have  entered  into 
possession,   with    my    co-heirs,    of    this    fortune.     A 


294     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

German  banker  offered  to  undertake  an  energetic 
campaign  for  the  purpose.  I  refused  this  offer, 
however,  from  a  feeling  of  patriotism  which  you 
will  understand." 

While  the  whole  story  is  of  singular  interest,  it  is 
to  be  observed  that  the  claim  made  upon  the  Empress 
Eugenie  as  the  surviving  representative  of  her 
husband  was  based  upon  a  loan  alleged  to  have 
been  made  to  the  Emperor  in  1855  and  renewed 
in  1870  for  a  second  period  of  fifteen  years.  At  the 
date  of  the  alleged  loan  (1855)  of,  as  it  was  stated 
to  have  been,  ;^  120,000  the  Emperor's  civil  list 
was  ;^  1,000,000  per  annum;    later  it  was  increased. 

The  "  Thi^ry  "  case  terminated,  after  two  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  years,  on  December  10,  191 3, 
when  the  Paris  Court  rejected  a  claim  by  a  widow, 
Mme  Cotton,  a  direct  descendant  of  Jean  Thiery, 
who  sought  to  recover  from  the  Republic  ;!^  800,000 
in  respect  of  losses  sustained  by  previous  heirs  and 
herself.  The  Court  now  held  that  Bonaparte,  in 
seizing  the  property  in  1797,  acted  in  his  public 
capacity  as  representative  of  the  State,  and  therefore 
no  action  could  lie  against  the  French  Government 
for  what  it  had  done. 

As  a  consequence  of  this  judgment  in  19 13  no 
action  could  lie  against  the  Empress  Eugenie, 
who  had  been  annoyed  for  nearly  seven  years  by  the 
vexatious  proceedings  instituted  by  M.  Pierre 
"  Thierry,"  to  say  nothing  of  the  expense  incurred  by 
her  in  defending  the  case. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

LAMPOONING    THE    EMPRESS 

Lou6  par  ceux-ci,  bMm6  par  ceux-li,  me  moquant  des  sots, 
bravant  les  m^chants,  je  me  h^te  de  rire  de  tout,  de  peur 
d'etre  oblige  d'en  pleurer. — Beaumarchais. 

United  States  journals  which  have  reached  me 
from  time  to  time  since  the  appearance  of  my 
two  previous  volumes  show  the  interest  taken  by 
the  Americans  in  the  Empress.  Reading  some  of 
the  letters  sent  across  the  Atlantic  by  Paris  Corre- 
spondents, I  freely  admit  that  English  biographers, 
or  would-be  biographers,  of  the  illustrious  lady  are 
painfully  dull,  distressingly  sober,  by  comparison 
with  the  alert,  quick-witted  Americans,  whose 
irresponsibility  and  occasional  disdain  for  his- 
torical accuracy  we  can  only  envy  without  daring 
to  imitate. 

What  could  be  more  attractive  to  the  newspaper 
reader  than  three  columns  of  small  type  (dated 
Paris,  May  15,  1910)  prefaced  by  the  headings: — 

AGED  EUGENIE  FINALLY  FORGIVES  AND  IS 
PREPARING  FOR  HER  END 

Ex-Empress    of   Beauty,    Power,    and    Fashion    burns 
her  Proofs  and  stops  her  Lawsuits  in  Christian  Abnega- 
tion— Last  of  a  Great  Romantic  Figure  who  has  been 
frequently  and  terribly  calumniated 
295 


296     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

The  writer  of  this  dazzling  "  story  "  (that,  I  am  told, 
is  the  technical  name  for  these  "  personal  "  articles, 
and  it  seems  a  sufficiently  appropriate  title)  is 
gifted  with  a  style  at  once  direct  and  penetrating. 
He  is  sparing  of  his  words,  but  lavish  of  his 
"  thrills,"  which  permeate  every  paragraph. 

The  most  fortunate  and  beautiful  of  girls,  the  most  brilliant 
and  powerful  of  women,  forgives  the  world  her  vast 
unhappiness. 

Eugenie,  great  romantic  figure,  one-time  Empress  of  the 
French  and  arbiter  of  fashion,  is  aged,  tottering,  preparing 
to  die. 

She  has  been  the  most  slandered  woman  in  the  world.  Even 
now  the  French  papers  cannot  leave  her  alone. 

There  will  be  no  Memoirs.  The  cable  recently  flashed 
M.  Pietri's  formal  communication  over  the  world.  Any 
alleged  writing  of  hers  will  be  spurious.  What  the  communica- 
tion did  not  state,  however,  is  that  Eugenie  burned  her 
Memoirs,  only  this  year  (1910),  in  a  great  act  of  Christian 
renunciation. 

The  most  slandered  woman  in  the  world  pardons  everybody. 

Women  worshipped  her  dazzling  success — a  Cinderella. 
One  day  she  was  a  poor  Spaniard,  visiting  Paris  with  her 
widowed  mother,  in  a  cheap  flat  of  the  Place  Vend6me. 
The  next  day  she  was  a  beloved  and  loving  Empress,  with 
the  entire  police  vainly  trying  to  silence  her  detractors.  They 
exiled  young  men  for  boasting  that  they  had  danced  with 
her  at  Biarritz,  They  imprisoned  women  for  saying  that  she 
had  been  engaged  to  Ossuna,  and  had  a  shameful  secret  in 
her  birth. 

Eugenie's  enemies,  to  complete  her  illegitimacy,  destroyed 
the  pages  of  the  parish  registers  at  Arevalo.  Then,  to 
perfect  their  work,  they  circulated  word  that  Napoleon  III. 
had  caused  the  destruction  of  the  record  page  to  conceal  her 
fatherless  state. 


LAMPOONING  THE  EMPRESS        297 

When  M6rim6e  offered  his  testimony,  years  after,  they 
called  him  Eugenie's  lover.  .  .  .  Mdrim^e  had  taken  them 
(the  mother  and  daughter)  to  the  Prince  President's  reception, 
where  Eugenie  first  met  Napoleon. 

With  these  facts  (sic)  the  Bonaparte  family  tried  to  break 
the  match.  They  sneered  at  the  Montijo  titles,  brought  out 
the  grandfather,  Kirkpatrick,  bankrupt  Malaga  raisin  merchant, 
and  took  up  Eugenie's  roving  life. 

"  Have  you  heard  of  M^rimde?  "  laughed  De  Persigny. 

"  M^rim^e  is  a  great  writer,"  said  Napoleon. 

"  He  writes  Eugenie's  letters  to  you.  Mother,  daughter 
and  newspaper  man  concoct  the  beautiful  letters  that  you 
cherish.  Really,  it  was  not  worth  making  the  coup  d'etat  to 
arrive  at  that." 

Thus  it  was  always  known  why  Eug6nie  hated  the  Bonaparte 
family.  She  could  forgive  political  counsels  against  her, 
but  not  the  powerful  ones  who  never  ceased  to  steal  her 
reputation. 

The  Empress  could  not  notice  a  man  without  his  being 
called  her  lover.  .  .  .  Prince  Henri  de  Reuss,  conducting  the 
Emperor  and  Empress  through  his  apartments,  tried  to  hurry 
them  through  his  bedroom,  but  Eugenie  would  not  hurry, 
gaily  inquisitive.  It  was  enough.  Next  day  all  Paris  knew 
that  Eugenie  had  been  caught  in  Reuss's  bedroom. 

She  lived  in  a  house  of  glass.  Thousands  of  eyes  spied 
on  her,  and  thousands  of  letters  of  those  times  have  been 
published.  From  them  and  a  hundred  memoirs  it  is  certain 
that  Eugenie  was  a  faithful  wife.  She  flirted  to  the  limit, 
but  without  real  peril.  .  .  .  The  number  of  befooled  men  will 
never  be  counted. 


As  soon  as  she  had  a  son,  they  found  new  subjects  for 
slander.  Avarice  was  her  vice,  they  said.  Eugenie  was 
squeezing  the  gold  out  of  France  by  stock-rigging,  not  being 
content  to  systematically  fob  the  Civil  List. 

In    Beaumarchais'   words,   "  I   hastened  to   laugh. 


298     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

lest  I  should  be  obliged  to  cry,"  when  I  read  what  is 
printed  above  merely  as  a  curiosity,  an  example 
of  the  many  despicable  slanders  on  the  Empress 
which  have  found  their  way  into  the  papers  in  many 
countries  between  1871  and  19 16. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE    PRINCE    WHO    LIVED   AT 
BAYSWATER 

Prince  Louis  Lucien  Bonaparte  was  a  fairly- 
frequent  visitor  at  Chislehurst  and  at  Farnborough 
Hill  from  the  year  of  the  arrival  of  the  Imperial 
Family  in  England  until  his  death,  in  Italy,  in 
November,  1891.  He  was  the  son  of  Lucien 
Bonaparte,  first  Prince  of  Canino,  a  brother  of 
Napoleon  L,  and,  even  at  seventy-four,  was  a 
replica  of  his  uncle,  the  Great  Emperor.  Lucien, 
like  his  cousin  Jerome  (father  of  the  Princes  Victor 
and  Louis),  was  a  little  taller  than  his  renowned 
uncle.  Looking  at  him  as  he  faced  you  in  the 
library  at  his  Bayswater  residence,  you  might  almost 
have  imagined  that  it  was  the  "  Little  Corporal  " 
who  stood  before  you;  his  frock  coat  was  tightly 
buttoned,  his  hands  were  clasped  behind  his  back. 
The  Prince  Imperial,  often  as  he  appeared  in  the 
West  End,  and  less  frequently  in  the  city,  passed 
unnoticed  unless  he  chanced  to  be  in  Pall  Mall 
or  St  James's  Street;  but  everybody  turned  to 
look  at  Prince  Lucien  as  he  strolled  in  the  Broad 
Walk,  or  roamed  through  the  West  End  in  quest  of 
books,  or  waited  on  the  platform  at  Charing  Cross 
or  Waterloo  for  the  train  which  was  to  take  him  to 
Chislehurst  or  Farnborough  Hill. 

Many    will    remember   him,    in    a    big    arm-chair, 
in  that  great  room  at  Norfolk  Terrace,  ever  willing  to 
299 


300     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

talk  about  literature.  Books  everywhere,  in  their 
cases  reaching  to  the  ceiling — seven  or  eight  rooms  full 
of  them :  a  miniature  British  Museum  library. 
Books  in  all  languages — the  majority  works  on 
scientific  subjects;  for  Louis  Lucien  Bonaparte  was 
savant  to  his  finger-tips.  Concerning  his  own 
Herculean  literary  productions  he  was  very  reticent; 
but,  by  persistent  questioning,  he  could  be  induced  to 
satisfy  a  visitor's  curiosity. 

"  You  did  not  know  I  was  born  in  England — at 
Thorngrove,  Worcestershire,  on  January  4th,  1 8 1 3  ;  so 
you  see  I  am  an  old  man  now.  When  I  was  born  my 
father,  Lucien  Bonaparte,  was  in  captivity.  After 
Waterloo  my  family  lived  in  Italy,  and  there  I  wrote 
my  first  books.  When  I  returned  to  France  the 
Corsicans  elected  me  as  their  representative  in  the 
Assembly.  Not  long  afterwards  I  became  a  member 
of  the  Assemblee  Legislative  by  the  votes  of  120,000 
electors  of  the  Seine.  In  1852  I  was  nominated 
Senator,  and  simultaneously  received  the  titles  of 
Prince  and  Highness.  With  that  exception  I  have 
never  taken  the  remotest  interest  in  politics,  for  which 
I  have  an  intense  repugnance;  and  I  have  devoted 
nearly  the  whole  of  my  life  to  scientific  research.  My 
favourite  study  has  always  been  chemistry.  But  I 
have  devoted  many  years  to  the  completion  of  a  dic- 
tionary of  all  the  European  languages,  intended  for 
the  use  of  linguistic  students.  I  have  some  thousands 
of  volumes  here,  as  you  may  see.  I  am  a  great  lover 
of  books,  and  spend  every  shilling  I  can  spare  upon 
them.  Many  hundreds  have  not  been  bound,  because 
I  could  not  afford  it. 

"  Yes — a  great  many  of  these  works  are  from  my 
pen.     Here  is  a  Bible  which  I  have  translated,  for  the 


THE  PRINCE  AT  BAYSWATER       301 

first  time,  into  Basque  du  Labourd.  Here  is  the  Book 
of  Genesis,  translated  into  the  langue  du  Guipuscoa, 
of  which  I  was  one  of  the  translators.  Here  is  the 
Book  of  Leviticus,  treated  similarly.  The  Psalms  are 
here  translated  into  Dutch;  Psalm  cl.  into  Spanish; 
the  Epistle  of  St  Matthew  into  Neapolitan,  Venetian, 
Milanese,  Piedmontese,  Corsican,  Italian,  Low  Scotch, 
the  Devonshire  dialect  and  many  other  languages. 
There  is  the  Apocalypse  in  all  kinds  of  Southern 
languages,  and  there  are  the  Apocryphal  Books  com- 
plete in  Gaelic  Scotch.  In  these  cases  there  are 
numerous  works,  mostly  Biblical,  in  every  language — 
Italian,  Greek,  Spanish,  Portuguese,  Dutch,  Swedish, 
and  Danish.  This  work,  published  in  London  in 
1863,  took  me  a  long  time  to  complete ;  it  is  a  Morpho- 
logical classification  of  the  European  languages, 
adapted  by  me  for  my  Comparative  Vocabulary.  I 
suppose  I  have  issued  of  this  kind  of  publication 
about  two  hundred  and  twenty-one  works  up  to 
now  (1887).  I  worked  very  hard  years  ago;  but 
that  is  all  over  now.  I  used  to  work  fifteen  hours  a 
day  without  feeling  the  strain;  but  now  I  have 
to  content  myself  with  two  or  three  hours  a  day,  for 
that  is  all  I  can  stand. 

No — I  do  not  think  I  shall  ever  return  to  France. 
I  love  England,  and  am  thoroughly  happy  here.  I 
almost  look  upon  myself  as  one  of  you  now — I  have 
lived  here  so  long.  Before  you  go  let  me  show  you  a 
painting  of  my  father.  It  is  considered  an  admirable 
likeness.  This  bust  is  one  of  my  mother.  Those 
pictures  over  there  have  all  interesting  histories." 

This  great  scholar,  whom  many  will  doubtless  con- 
sider the  most  distinguished  member  of  the  House  of 
Bonaparte,  died  within  four  years  after  the  conversation 


302     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

here  recorded.  His  remains  were  brought  to  England 
from  Italy  and  interred  at  St  Mary's  Roman  Catholic 
Cemetery,  Kensal  Green,  in  the  presence  of  several 
hundred  people.  At  the  Requiem  Mass  previously 
celebrated  at  the  Church  of  St  Mary  and  All  Angels, 
Bayswater,  Queen  Victoria  was  represented  by  Lord 
Romilly;  and,  besides  Mr  Clovis  Bonaparte  (the  son) 
and  his  wife,  there  were  present  at  the  funeral 
Monsignor  Goddard,  Count  Ferraro,  the  Rev. 
Father  David,  O.S.F.  (Prince  Louis  Lucien's 
confessor),  and  Dr  Owen  (one  of  Queen  Victoria's 
physicians).  By  the  Prince's  wish,  the  remains  were 
deposited  in  a  sarcophagus  constructed  after  his  own 
designs.  The  body  was  conveyed  to  the  grave  in  an 
oak  coffin,  with  removable  sides  and  lid.  When  the 
coffin  had  been  deposited  in  its  place  the  sides 
and  the  lid  were  removed,  and  it  was  then  seen 
that  the  Prince  reposed  on  a  mattress  covered  with 
violet  satin  edged  with  gold  fringe.  He  was  in 
Court  garb,  with  his  Oxford  gown,  and  all  his 
orders.     There  were  "  no  flowers,  by  request." 

The  mourners  read  : 

Here  in  this  sarcophagus  lies  Louis  Lucien  Bonaparte, 
Senator  of  France,  Grand  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour, 
and  Doctor  of  the  University  of  Oxford ;  son  of  Lucien 
Bonaparte,  the  most  distinguished  brother  of  Napoleon  the 
First,  and  First  Prince  of  Canino.  He  was  in  early  life  a 
student  of  chemistry,  and  in  his  old  age  devoted  to  comparative 
philology.  Born  at  Thorngrove,  near  Worcester,  January 
4th,  181 3  [a  space  for  the  date  of  the  death  w^as  left  vacant]. 
**  Miserere  mea  Deus  secundum  magnum  miserecordiam 
tuam ;  Christe  Redemptor  mundi ;  Deus,  salvam  me  fac ; 
Sancta  Maria,  Mater  Dei,  Ora  pro  Nobis." 

The  wife  of  Prince  Louis  Lucien  was  the  daughter 
of    a    Florentine    sculptor.      After    living    with    her 


THE  PRINCE  AT  BAYSWATER       303 

husband  nearly  twenty  years  a  separation  was 
arranged,  but  the  Princess,  although  agreeing  to 
live  apart,  would  not  consent  to  have  the  marriage 
annulled,  as  she  was  proud  of  the  name  of  Bonaparte. 
The  Princess  lived  principally  on  an  allowance 
from  the  Empress  Eugenie,  supplemented  by  what 
she  got  at  one  time  by  showing  the  historical 
house  at  Ajaccio  (the  maison  Bonaparte)  in  which  she 
resided,  and  in  which  Napoleon  I.  was  born.  A 
Princess  of  the  House  of  Bonaparte  acting  as 
caretaker  of  a  famous  residence  and  "  turning  an 
honest  penny  "  by  showing  it  to  inquisitive  excur- 
sionists !  It  was  even  so.  Princess  (Clemence) 
Bonaparte  died  on  November  14,  19 15,  at  St  Joseph's 
Home,  Mare  Street,  Hackney,  London.  She  left 
all  her  property  (valued  at  ;^994,  4s.  6d.),  "  whether 
in  possession  or  reversion,"  to  Mrs  Laura  Elizabeth 
Brooke,  6  Alexander  House,  St  Mary's  Terrace, 
Paddington.  The  Princess  had  resided  for  many 
years  at  2  Powis  Square,  Bayswater. 

Prince  Lucien  had  a  staunch  friend  in  the  late  Sir 
Henry  Drummond  Wolff,  G.C.B.,G.C.M.G.,  for  some 
years  our  Ambassador  to  Spain,  who,  in  his  enter- 
taining reminiscences,  *  gives  a  highly-interesting 
appreciation  of  the  Prince.  Pointing  out  that 
Prince  Lucien  was  not  only  a  great  philologist, 
but  an  eminent  chemist,  having  a  special  penchant 
for  the  study  of  poisons,  with  the  view  of  utilising 
them  for  the  benefit  of  humanity.  Sir  Henry  says : 

Prince  Louis  Lucien  was  hig"h  in  the  confidence  of  the 
Emperor  Napoleon  IIL,  and  I  believe  was  one  of  the  guardians 

*"  Rambling-  Recollections."  Two  vols.  Macmillan  &  Co. 
Limited.     igo8. 


304     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

appointed  to  the  Prince  Imperial.  He  was  much  depressed 
by  the  death  of  the  latter,  and,  though  he  had  always  led  a 
very  secluded  life,  was  still  more  of  a  recluse  afterwards. 
The  downfall  of  the  Empire  seriously  injured  his  financial 
position,  though  I  believe  he  inherited  some  money  from  his 
nephew,  Mr  Stuart,  the  son  of  Lord  Dudley  Stuart,  who 
had  married  his  sister.  Mr  Gladstone,  who  had  a  great 
respect  for  him  on  account  of  his  literary  qualities,  conferred 
on  him  an  English  pension,  being  enabled  to  say  with 
truth  that  he  was  a  British  subject,  as  he  was  born  at 
Thorngrove,  in  Worcestershire. 

In  feature,  the  Prince  presented  a  striking  resemblance  to 
the  Emperor  Napoleon  I.  .  .  .  When  about  sixteen,  he  had 
written  a  poem  against  the  Papacy,  which,  later  in  life, 
however,  he  upheld  and  reverenced.  He  was  a  perfect 
encyclopaedia  of  learning,  ancient  and  modern.  He  had  two 
semi-detached  houses  in  Westbourne  Grove,  now  called 
Norfolk  Terrace,  Bayswater.  In  one  of  them  he  lived ;  but 
he  devoted  the  other  to  science,  forming  a  magnificent 
philological  library,  and  converting  the  cellars  into  a  chemical 
laboratory.  In  his  library  might  be  read  the  inscription  : 
"  O  beata  solitudo  !     O  sola  beatitudo  !  " 

Some  of  Sir  Henry  Wolff's  relatives  had  known 
Prince  Louis  Lucien  in  Florence,  where  the  Prince- 
savant  passed  the  early  years  of  his  manhood.  At 
their  London  house  they  received  their  friends  of  all 
nationalities  every  evening,  and  here  the  first 
cousin  of  Napoleon  HL  once,  in  1856,  met,  among 
other  revolutionaries,  Orsini,  who  had  recently 
escaped  from  his  prison  at  Mantua.  This  unexpected 
rencontre  greatly  annoyed  the  Prince,  who,  later — 
after  Orsini's  attempted  assassination  of  the  Emperor 
and  Empress — "  broke  "  with  the  would-be  assassin. 

When  the  war  of  1870  broke  out,  writes  Sir  Henry, 
*'  the  Prince  came  to  me  at  the  Athenaeum  Club, 
of  which  we  were  both  members,  and,  curiously 
enough,  took  me  in  his  carriage  with  the  Bonaparte 


THE  PRINCE  AT  BAYSWATER       305 

liveries  to  the  door  of  the  Prussian  Embassy,  where 
I  endeavoured  to  obtain  some  authentic  news.  .  .  . 
At  the  fall  of  the  Empire  the  Prince  naturally  lost 
his  allowance  [from  the  Emperor],  as  well  as  his 
pay  as  Senator,  and,  having  made  some  bad  invest- 
ments, he  was  at  one  time  reduced  to  considerable 
pecuniary  straits."  I  believe  he  received  a  Civil 
allowance  in  recognition  of  his  scientific  attainments. 
He  had  intended  to  leave  his  valuable  library  and  his 
collection  of  chemicals  and  metals  to  the  British 
Museum,  but  technical  difficulties  stood  in  the  way  of 
his  desire. 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

BAZAINE,  LEBCEUF,  CANROBERT  AND 
NAPOLEON  III. 

There  was  discovered,  in  1906,  under  a  humble 
roof  at  Limoges,  an  old  soldier  named  Liautrou 
who  was  Marshal  Bazaine's  orderly  when  Metz 
capitulated  in  October,  1870.  Napoleon  II L  gave 
the  Marshal  the  command  of  the  army  of  Metz  one 
wretched  evening,  when  he  was  dining  at  Bazaine's 
quarters  in  the  early  days  of  the  war.  And  this  is 
Liautrou's  story  : 

I  was  serving  at  table.  I  can  see  the  Emperor 
now — his  pale  face,  his  expressionless  eyes,  his 
haggard  look,  mais  toujours  son  air  de  brave  homme. 
The  Emperor  was  all  goodness :  he  wept  when 
he  offered  Bazaine  the  sole  command.  Oui,  monsieur, 
il  pleurait.  Pauvre  souverain !  We  arrived  at 
St  Privat.  That  morning  Bazaine  appeared  on 
the  battlefield,  but  he  did  not  remain  long.  About 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening  I  took  him  his  dinner 
in  one  of  those  little  wicker  baskets  used  in  the  army. 
I  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  find  the  Marshal; 
the  bullets  whistled  round  me,  and  with  my  basket  I 
was  a  sorry  figure.  I  should  have  preferred  having 
a  "  flingot  "  in  my  hand,  and  taking  my  part  in  the 
concert. 

Well,  at  last,  near  Fort  St  Quentin  1  met  Marshal 
Leboeuf.     "  Pardon,"    I    said,    "  Monsieur   le   Mare- 

306 


BAZAINE,  LEBGEUF,  CANROBERT    307 

chal,  but  can  you  tell  me  where  I  shall  find  Monsieur 
le  Marechal  Bazaine?  " 

"  Ah,  it's  you,  Liautrou?  Well,  go  that  way." 
He  put  me  on  the  right  track,  and  at  last  I  found  my 
chief  in  a  small  town — Flappeville.  He  was 
installed  in  a  very  nice  house,  from  which  the  panic- 
stricken  people  had  fled.  The  Marshal  lived  there 
very  quietly ;  there  he  was  in  his  arm-chair,  indifferent 
to  the  appeals  of  Canrobert,  who  sent  him  message 
after  message. 

Canrobert — there  is  a  man  whom  one  can  talk  about. 
Canrobert  was  full  of  aches  and  pains;  he  had 
to  be  helped  on  his  charger.  Once  in  the  saddle, 
though,  he  remained  in  4.  While  Canrobert  was 
fighting  like  a  lion  at  St  Privat,  Bazaine,  after  dinner^ 
strolled  towards  the  fort  of  St  Quentin,  "  to  see,'' 
he  said,  "  what  was  going  on."  His  two  nephews, 
Adolphe  and  Achille  Bazaine,  lieutenants  in  the 
cavalry,  had  been  in  the  fighting.  Adolphe  was 
wounded — a  scratch  in  one  leg.  They  used  to  say, 
entre  nous,  that  he  did  it  himself;  but  perhaps  that 
was  only  gossip.  Well,  his  uncle  decorated  him ! 
Yes,  gave  him  the  cross — for  that !  The  wound 
must  have  been  very  slight,  for  it  did  not  interfere 
with  his  duties.  Things  went  from  bad  to  worse. 
Nobody  knew  what  to  do.  We  marched  from  defeat 
to  defeat. 

(The  old  soldier,  much  affected,  turned  his  straw  hat 
between  his  fingers.  His  bright  eyes  were  dry,  but 
his  grave  voice  seemed  wet  with  tears.) 

We  shut  ourselves  up  in  Metz.  It  was  a  dreadful 
time.  Hitherto  we  had  been  beaten,  but  we  had 
aefended  ourselves.  It  was  doing  nothing  that 
wore  us  out.     Then   came   famine.     All   that   force 


3o8     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

shut  up  in  Metz,  helpless !  The  soldiers  had  nothing 
to  do  but  boil  their  pots — when  there  was  anything 
to  cook !  Bazaine  left  his  house  less  and  less. 
At  last  one  day  a  brigadier  (a  corporal)  brought  into 
Metz  news  of  the  defeat  at  Sedan. 

I  know  nothing  about  history.  I  have  never 
opened  a  book  in  my  life,  for  the  very  good  reason 
that  I  can't  read.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have 
always  kept  my  eyes  open,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  it 
was  indeed  a  corporal  of  artillery  who  was  the  first 
to  inform  Bazaine  of  the  fall  of  the  Empire  and  the 
proclamation  of  the  Republic.  The  Marshal  gave 
the  corporal  the  military  medal  and  made  him 
sergeant.  I  recollect  distinctly,  and  can  repeat  to 
you  now,  word  for  word,  one  thing  which  the  Marshal 
said  on  that  occasion.  I  must,  however,  tell  you 
that  everybody  was  beginning  to  talk  about  Bazaine; 
they  thought  he  had  behaved  very  strangely,  and 
they  began  to  murmur  tout  bas — bien  bas.  We 
were  on  the  watch,  and  I  heard  the  Marshal  say, 
"  Je  ne  servirai  jamais  la  Republique !  "  Yes,  I 
heard  him  say  that !  After  Sedan  he  never  budged. 
He  waited.  What?  .  .  .  You  can  never  tell.  He 
was  always  shut  up  in  his  house. 

He  never  visited  the  troops.  Never  did  he  set  foot 
within  the  hospitals,  which  were  swarming  with 
the  sick.  Never  did  he  mount  his  horse;  and  he 
was  getting  fat !  The  troops  chafed.  Bazaine  was 
obliged  to  give  way  to  Canrobert  to  some  extent, 
so  there  were  two  sorties  on  a  small  scale.  The 
word  "  treason  "  began  to  be  heard.  The  other 
chiefs  appeared  to  be  modelling  themselves  upon 
Bazaine.  They  were  all  asking  themselves,  "  Where 
are  we  going?  " 


BAZAINE,  LEBCEUF,  CANROBERT    309 

There  were  two  decent  men  with  Bazaine — 
Canrobert  and  Jarras.  The  latter  used  to  upset 
Bazaine;  he  was  always  arguing. 

Leboeuf?  A  sluggard — quite  useless.  He  was 
never  seen  at  the  councils.  There  was  also  the 
chief  of  the  artillery — Soleille.  He  was  another 
faineant,  an  incapable.  His  likeness  to  Napoleon 
ni.  was  extraordinary.  We  used  to  say  he  must 
be  the  Emperor's  son. 

Conferences  were  often  held.  Canrobert  and 
Jarras  always  attended  them.  They  treated  Bazaine 
to  hard  words  sometimes.  On  his  staff  was  a 
brilliant  officer,  Captain  Comte  de  Gudin — a  capable 
man ;  and  how  brave !  He  had  been  in  the 
Cuirassiers — they  were  all  killed  at  Reichshofen. 
Soleille  told  Bazaine  exactly  what  he  thought  of 
him.  I  do  not  know  if  Soleille  had  got  hold  of  any 
of  the  Marshal's  secrets,  but  Bazaine  seemed  to 
be  afraid  of  him.  Jarras,  as  I  told  you,  was  always 
arguing,  but  seldom  lost  his  temper.  One  day, 
however, .  there  was  a  stormy  scene,  and  Jarras 
told  Bazaine  he  was  a  do-nothing.  Yes,  Jarras  used 
that  very  word,  "  faineant,"  to  the  Marshal,  his 
chief. 

How  do  I  know? 

I  must  tell  you  that  the  councils  of  war  were  helH 
in  a  room  over  the  kitchen.  The  dining-room  was 
overhead,  the  dishes  being  sent  up  by  a  lift.  We  used 
to  listen  at  the  lift.  I  recollect  that  Canrobert 
was  always  for  making  an  attempt  to  break  through 
the  Prussian  lines.  One  day  he  said  abruptly  to 
Bazaine,  "  Our  horses  are  without  straw,  without 
hay;  they  will  starve;  yet  outside  Metz  there  is 
plenty  of  both  hay  and  straw."     Bazaine   shrugge'd 


3IO     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

his  shoulders :  "  You  go  out,  then,  as  you  are 
so  brave !  "  "I  am  not  master,"  growled  Canrobert. 
Once,  however,  Bazaine  did  permit  a  sortie  to  be 
made  by  three  regiments  of  voltigeurs  and  a  zouave 
regiment.  Bazaine  had  always  near  him  a  phot- 
ographer, wearing  private  clothes  and  taking  his 
meals  at  the  Marshal's  table.  I  remember,  too, 
the  interpreter — a  charming  fellow,  a  native  of  Metz. 
When  the  siege  began  he  was  a  simple  soldier,  but 
the  Marshal  made  him  sous-lieutenant. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

PARENTAGE    OF    NAPOLEON    III. 

Was  Napoleon  III.  the  legitimate  son  of  King  Louis 
of  Holland?  Doctor  Corvisart,  the  doctor  of 
Napoleon  I.,  and  the  medical  attendant  of  nearly  all 
the  Imperial  Family,  averred,  according  to  Baron 
d'Ambes,  *  that  "  Louis  Bonaparte  was  not  the 
father  of  any  of  Queen  Hortense's  children."  The 
father  of  one  of  them  was,  we  know,  the  Comte  de 
Flahault,  and  Napoleon  III.  acknowledged  De 
Morny  to  be  his  illegitimate  brother.  D'Ambes 
contends,  in  great  detail,  but  half-heartedly,  that 
Napoleon  I.  was  not  only  the  uncle,  but  the  father, 
of  Napoleon  III.  The  King  of  Holland  himself 
is  credited  with  the  written  statement  that  "  not 
a  drop  of  Bonapartist  blood  ran  in  the  veins  of 
Louis  Napoleon.  .  .  .  But,  as  he  will  never  come 
to  a  throne,  and  as  I  do  not  wish  to  make  a 
scandal  ...  it  does  not  matter."  Of  Napoleon 
Charles,  the  eldest  son  of  Queen  Hortense  (the 
Great  Emperor's  stepdaughter,  daughter  of  the 
discarded  Empress  Josephine),  D'Ambes  says : 
•'  He  has  all  the  appearance  of  being  the  child 
of  Napoleon  I.  Of  the  second  son,  I  can  say 
nothing.      As     to     the     third     (Napoleon     III.),     I 

*'*M6moires  in^dits  sur  Napoleon  III."  Par  le  Baron 
d'Ambes.  Recueillis  et  annot^s  par  Charles  Simond  et 
M.  C.  Poinsot.  Paris  :  Soci^t6  des  publications  litt6raires 
illustr^es.     (An  English  edition  has  appeared.) 


312     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

hesitate  to  speak.  As  to  another  of  Hortense's 
children,  admittedly  illegitimate,  Francois  Louis  de 
Castel-Vecchio,  born  at  Rome  in  1826,  he  was 
certainly  not  the  son  of  the  ex-King  of  Holland." 

Despite  his  "  hesitancy  "  and  self-contradictions, 
D'Ambes,  in  his  voluminous  and  unique  "  Memorial 
de  Chislehurst,"  adduces  much  evidence  of  a  certain 
class — a  great  deal  of  it  supposititious — in  support 
of  his  theory  that  the  Uncle  was  the  father  of  the 
Nephew,  a  theory  now  first  advanced  in  modern 
times,  although  Corvisart  and  D'Ambes  assert  that  it 
was  much  gossiped  about  at  the  birth  of  Napoleon 
HI.  (1808)  and  for  many  years  afterwards.  Corvi- 
sart died  in  1821,  when  Baron  d'Ambes  was 
eight.  The  latter's  information,  it  seems,  came 
to  him  from  the  son  of  a  medical  man  who  was  a 
colleague  of  Corvisart  at  the  £cole  de  Medecine 
(Paris)  and  discussed  the  question  with  Corvisart.  * 

When  M.  Frederic  Masson,  of  the  Academic 
Francaise,  speaks,  we  listen  respectfully.  He 
has  spoken  on  the  question  of  the  paternity  of 
Napoleon  HI.,  and  demolished  the  Corvisart- 
D'Ambes  theory.  M.  Masson  says :  "  Not  a 
particle  of  this  stupid  calumny  is  true.  Everything 
denies  and  contradicts  it;  it  cannot  stand  the 
slightest  examination.  But  it  cannot  be  denied  that 
it  emanated  from  King  Louis  himself.  From 
thence  this  absurd  story  spread,  and  for  sixty  years 

*  Father  of  the  Doctor  Baron  Corvisart  who  was  a  principal 
medical  attendant  of  Napoleon  III.  until  his  Majesty's  death 
at  Chislehurst,  on  the  9th  of  January,  1873.  The  other 
medico  at  Chislehurst  was  Dr  Conneau,  who  shared  Prince 
Louis  Napoleon's  imprisonment  in  the  fortress  of  Ham 
(1840- 1 846). 


PARENTAGE  OF  NAPOLEON  III.  313 

people  have  played  at  the  game  of  finding  fathers  for 
Charles  Louis  Napoleon.  Men  of  genius  and  men 
of  esprit  have  joined  in  it.  ...  I  affirm  that  Charles 
Louis  Napoleon  (Napoleon  IIL),  born  on  the 
20th  of  April,  1808,  was,  beyond  contradiction, 
except  by  a  lunatic,  the  son  of  Louis,  King  of 
Holland,  and  Hortense  de  Beauharnais,  his  wife. 
And  it  is  important  to  note  that  this  puny  infant 
was  a  seven  months'  child,  that  no  one  believed 
he  could  live,  or  that,  by  virtue  of  the  name  he  bore, 
he  who,  on  the  loth  of  December,  1848,  was 
elected  President  of  the  Republic  by  5,500,000 
votes,  and  who,  on  the  20th  of  December,  1851, 
was  acclaimed  President  for  ten  years,  would  be,  on 
the  ist  December,  1852,  chosen  as  Emperor  of 
the  French  by  7,500,000  votes — that  is  to  say,  by 
the  unanimity  of  the  country  which  was  at  last  freed 
from  the  chains  with  which  Europe  had  fettered 
it  in  1815."  * 

If  any  living  person  is  entitled  to  speak  ex  cathedra, 
it  is  M.  Masson.  Probably  no  one  will  be  disposed 
to  try  a  fall  with  him  on  this  or  any  other  point  of 
that  Napoleonic  history  which  he  has  probed  to 
the  lowest  depths. 

Baron  d'Ambes  finds  much  to  excuse  in  the 
general  conduct  of  Hortense,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  the  Marquis  Francois  de  Beauharnais,  the  first 
husband  of  Josephine.  Her  mother  set  her  daughter 
a  bad  example.  "  She  loved  Tallien,  who  had 
saved  her  life  in  1794,  when  she  was  a  prisoner  and 
narrowly  escaped  the  scaffold  which  was  mounted 
by  her  husband,  De  Beauharnais.  Josephine  loved 
Barras,  Lieutenant  Charles,  and  who  besides?  I 
*  "Revue  Hebdomadaire,"  January  29,  1910. 


314     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

had  almost  forgotten  General  Bonaparte,  who  placed 
an  Emperor's  crown  on  her  head.  I  really  believe 
she  loved  him  beyond  measure,  but  it  is  too  certain 
that  she  deceived  him.  '  Telle  mere  ardente,  telle 
brulante  fille.*  It  was  known  in  Paris  that,  during 
her  husband's  absence,  Josephine  '  distracted  her- 
self '  to  such  an  extent  that,  as  the  Duchesse 
d'Abrantes  told  me,  her  compromised  reputation 
drove  from  her  and  her  daughter  people  who 
respected  themselves,  I  know  that  the  Gohier 
family  would  not  allow  their  son  to  marry  Hortense — 
a  marriage  desired  by  Josephine.  We  know  the 
terrible  scene  which  occurred  on  the  return  of  General 
Bonaparte,  who  had  heard  of  his  wife's  conduct, 
and  only  pardoned  the  unfaithful  wife  at  the 
supplications  of  Hortense  and  her  brother  Eugene." 

Josephine  was  anxious  to  get  her  daughter  off 
her  hands — so  D'Ambes  tells  us.  After  the  failure 
with  young  Gohier  she  endeavoured  to  secure 
another  youth,  one  Rewbell,  whom  Hortense  dis- 
liked. Then,  at  the  instigation  of  Bourrienne,  an 
attempt  was  maHe  to  capture  Jerome  Bonaparte  *  ; 
Lucien,  however,  bade  his  brother  beware  of  Hor- 
tense's  violet  eyes  and  blonde  tresses,  and  again 
Josephine  was  foiled  : 

What  opportunities  for  the  girl  to  lose  her  heart  at  La 
Malmaison !  When  Bonaparte,  become  First  Consul,  left 
the  Rue  de  la  Victoire  for  the  Petit  Luxembourg-,  and  the 
Petit  Luxembourg-  for  the  Tuileries,  he  installed  his  -wife 
and  stepdaughter  in  the  entresol  of  the  Palace  and  bade  them 
organise  f^tes,  receptions  and  balls  both  in  Paris  and  at 
La  Malmaison.  On  Thursdays  there  was  a  gala  dinner ; 
and  often  there  was  a  theatrical  performance. 

I  can  still  hear  Junot's  wife  telling  me  of  the  elegances  of 
the    Consular    Court,    the    flowered    white    cr^pe    robes,    the 

*  Made  King  of  Westphalia  by   his  brother,   Napoleon  L 


PARENTAGE  OF  NAPOLEON  III.  315 

garlanded  heads,  and  the  merriment  which  rang  through  the 
rooms  as  the  First  Consul  passed  through  them,  feeling 
already  Emperor,  but  awaiting  the  moment  when  he  would 
place  on  his  head  the  heavy  crown  of  glory.  How  pretty 
Hortense  was !  An  exquisite  blonde,  with  amethyst  eyes, 
supple  waist,  and  harmonious  gestures.  Her  feet  were  rather 
too  small,  her  teeth  rather  too  large ;  but  what  perfect  hands 
and  ivory  nails,  beautifully  kept ;  yet,  to  satisfy  this  ardent 
beauty,  they  could  think  of  nothing  better  than  to  throw 
her  into  the  arms  of  an  impuissant  invalid  and  grumbler ! 
It  was  to  court  misfortune. 

Naturally  Hortense  was  courted.  Whom  did  she  love? 
First  she  loved  Duroc,  a  smart  officer  of  thirty,  who  was 
presented  to  her  by  Bourrienne,  Napoleon's  secretary. 
Bourrienne  searched  for  eligible  husbands.  First,  as  we 
have  seen,  he  thought  of  J^r6me  Bonaparte,  then  of  Lucien ; 
for  Hortense 's  mother  ardently  desired  a  Bonaparte  for  Jier 
son-in-law,  and  finally  succeeded  in  getting  one.  Duroc  did 
not  throw  himself  at  the  girl's  feet  any  more  than  Gohier  and 
Rewbell  had  done. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  Bonaparte  himself  made  his 
first  amorous  advances  to  Hortense.  Two  days  after  his 
marriage  to  Josephine  he  had  left  for  Italy.  It  was  on  his 
return,  in  January,  1798,  after  the  Congress  at  Rastadt, 
that  he  felt  himself  en  rapport  with  the  girl.  He 
hesitated  for  a  long  time,  or  rather  allowed  to  ripen  slowly 
a  passion  which  he  divined  would  become  an  inconvenience, 
but  which  probably  dominated  him  towards  i8oi. 

Hortense,  far  from  falling  headlong  in  love  with  her  step- 
father, began  by  detesting  him.  She  was  vexed  at  her 
mother's  remarriage.  Then  their  life  in  common,  the  Consul's 
amiability,  and  especially  that  magnetism  which  so  few 
women  could  resist,  wore  down  her  shyness,  softened  her, 
and  conquered  her  by  degrees.  Bonaparte  was  her  senior 
by  fourteen  years.  Later  there  was  an  infinity  of  talk  about 
these  amours.  * 

*  Later,  as  we  know,  Mme  de  Remusat  brought  an  odious 
charge  against  Napoleon  I.  The  late  Victorien  Sardou 
agreed  with  her;  and  "La  Revue,"  of  April  15,  igog, 
published  an  article  giving  Sardou's  "confidences"  to  Dr 
Cabanas  on  this  subject. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV 

THE   EMPRESS,   HER   SON   AND   THE 
FAMILY 

Je  suis  lasse  des  lis,  je  suis  lasse  des  roses, 
De  leur  haute  splendeur,  de  leurs  fraicheurs  ^closes, 
De  toute  la  beaut^  des  grands  lis  et  des  roses. 
Votre  odeur  s'exasp^re  dans  1 'ombre  et  dans  le  soir, 
Violettes,  6  fleurs  douces  au  d^espoir, 
Violettes  du  soir. 

The  principal  events  in  which  the  Imperial  lady 
figured  between  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with  Germany 
in  1870  and  191 1  having  been  detailed  in  my  two 
previous  volumes,  I  have  now  to  record,  in  summary 
form,  the  few  incidents  of  her  life  in  the  years 
1912,  1913,  1914,  1915,  ending  with  March,  1916. 

19 1 2. — On  the  9th  of  January  the  Empress  was 
present  at  St  Michael's  Abbey  Church  at  the 
annual  memorial  service  for  the  Emperor  Napoleon 
III.,  only  the  late  M.  Pietri  accompanying  her. 
After  the  Mass  she  descended  to  the  crypt  (the 
Imperial  Mausoleum),  where,  after  the  Absolution 
had  been  given,  she  closely  examined  the  little 
alterations  which  had  been  made  by  her  direction. 
She  carried  her  stick,  but  did  not  use  it.  On  the 
following  day  the  Empress  left  for  the  Continent, 
en  route  for  Cap  Martin,  passing  through  Brussels, 
where  she  was  met  at  the  station  by  Prince  and 
Princess  Napoleon,  with  whom  next  day  she  passed 
some  hours  at  their  house  in  the  Avenue  Louise. 
From  Brussels  she   went   to   Paris,   and  so  to   Cap 

316 


THE  FAMILY  317 

Martin.  On  Christmas  Day  Mass  was  celebrated  in 
her  oratory  at  Farnborough  Hill.  It  is  only  on  this 
great  festival  that  she  wears  the  Spanish  mantilla. 

191 3. — The  Empress  was  suffering  from  a  heavy 
cold  and  a  troublesome  cough  at  the  end  of  19 12,  and 
her  doctor  would  not  allow  her  to  attend  the  memorial 
service  at  the  church  on  the  9th  of  January  this  year. 
She  soon  recovered  and  the  last  week  of  February 
found  her,  as  usual,  at  Cap  Martin,  where  she 
was  visited  by  the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy.  On  the 
29th  of  November  she  was  present  at  the  Jesuits' 
Church,  Farm  Street,  at  the  service  for  her  old 
friend,  Mme  de  Arcos,  as  described  in  another  chapter. 
This  year  the  Empress  was  not  at  Cowes  for  the 
"  week."  In  the  winter  she  entertained  at  Farn- 
borough Hill  Prince  and  Princess  Napoleon.  In 
the  spring  she  had  passed  some  time  at  Venice. 
On  the  5th  of  November  she  attended,  at  the  Chapel 
Royal,  St  James's,  a  funeral  service  for  Prince  Maurice 
of  Battenberg,  as  noted  in  the  chapter  "  The 
Empress's  Tears."  This  year  the  Empress  was 
present  at  all  the  anniversary  services  at  St  Michael's. 
In  January  a  fine  of  five  pounds  was  imposed  by  the 
Farnham  bench  upon  the  driver  of  her  car  for  "driving 
to  the  public  danger  "  in  September,  19 12,  and 
knocking  down  a  cyclist  between  Farnham  and  Alder- 
shot.  In  the  same  month  (January)  she  caused  a 
notice  to  be  published  conveying  her  "  appreciation 
of  the  many  kind  inquiries  regarding  her  health, 
and  desiring  it  to  be  understood  that  she  was  then 
much  better,  her  cold  not  being  nearly  so  trouble- 
some." 

1 9 14. — The  Empress  arrived  at  Cap  Martin  in  the 
third  week  of  February,  and  in   March  entertained 


3i8     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

at  Villa  Cyrnos  Princess  Henry  of  Battenberg  for  a 
fortnight.  This  year,  during  a  rather  long  stay  in 
Paris,  she  visited  Fontainebleau,  the  Musee  Carna- 
valet  and  the  Tuileries  Gardens.  The  Empress's 
birthday  (May  5)  is  also  the  anniversary  of  the 
death  of  Napoleon  I.,  and  on  that  day,  as  usual,  there 
was  a  commemorative  service  for  that  Emperor  at 
St  Michael's,  attended  only  by  the  servants  at  Farn- 
borough  Hill,  her  Majesty  being  then  at  Cap  Martin. 
In  the  summer  she  visited  the  King  and  Queen 
of  Spain  and  other  friends  at  Madrid.  On  the 
2 1  St  of  August  the  Empress  was  present,  at  St 
Michael's,  at  a  votive  Mass  "  for  the  time  of  war  " 
(August  25),  at  a  Requiem  Mass  for  Pope  Pius  X. 
and  at  the  customary  service  on  All  Souls'  Day 
(November  2). 

The  Empress  took  what  may  prove  to  be  her  last 
holiday  in  the  spring  and  summer.  In  May  she 
motored  from  Cap  Martin  to  Vintimille  and  proceeded 
by  train  to  Milan  and  from  thence  to  Venice.  She 
returned  from  Italy  to  Paris  and  left  for  England 
on  the  1 8th  of  July.  Her  yacht,  Thistle,  which  was 
erroneously  reported  to  have  been  disposed  of,  has  been 
recently  fitted  with  a  wireless  installation.  Like  the 
Dowager  Empress  of  Russia  and  her  sister.  Queen 
Alexandra,  the  Empress  Eugenie  has  not  escaped 
German  Press  vilification.  In  December  it  was 
reported  from  Madrid  that  the  Spanish  edition  of  the 
"  Hamburger  Nachrichten  "  had  been  seized  for 
publishing  a  scurrilous  article  upon  her  Majesty, 
much  of  whose  early  life  was  spent  in  the  Spanish 
capital.  In  the  autumn  a  wing  of  her  house  was 
converted  into  a  sanatorium  for  wounded  officers. 
It  has  a  perfectly  equipped  operating  theatre.     Every 


THE  FAMILY  319 

day  the  Empress,  unless  prevented  by  indisposition, 
has  walked  through  the  eight  rooms  and  chatted 
with  the  patients.  Her  Majesty  previously  gave 
;^200  to  the  British  Red  Cross  Society,  and  from 
the  first  has  closely  followed  the  course  of  the  war 
on  large-scale  maps.  The  King  and  Queen,  Princess 
Mary  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  (who  were  then  at 
Aldershot)  visited  the  Empress  one  Sunday  afternoon 
and  took  tea. 

191 5. — For  the  first  time  since,  in  1880,  the  Empress 
made  Farnborough  Hill  her  English  home,  she 
remained  there  the  whole  of  this  year — in  fact,  she 
had  not  left  it  since  her  return  from  the  Continent 
in  July,  19 1 4.  She  attended  all  the  services  at 
St  Michael's  except  the  Mass  for  M.  Pietri  on 
December  17.  Among  her  visitors  were  her  nieces, 
the  Marquise  de  Tammamis  and  the  Duchesse  de 
Medina  Coeli,  and  a  few  others.  This  year,  by 
exception,  the  Empress  was  in  England  on  the 
I  St  of  June,  the  date  of  her  son's  death  in  1879,  and 
was  present  at  the  anniversary  Mass  at  St  Michael's 
on  that  day.  She  was  accompanied  by  Prince  and 
Princess  Napoleon,  M.  Pietri,  Mme  d'Attainville, 
Mile  Gaubert,  Miss  Vesey  and  the  members  of 
her  household. 

Since  Prince  and  Princess  Napoleon  have  been 
the  Empress's  guests  (19 14- 19 16)  they  have  attended 
the  Sunday  morning  service  at  the  oratory,  the 
former  occupying  the  seat  on  her  Majesty's  right. 
Ordinarily  the  congregation  numbers  from  ten  to 
twelve.  Many  are  the  moving  scenes  which  have 
been  enacted  in  the  beautiful  Abbey  Church  of 
St  Michael,  which,  with  the  surrounding  lands,  was 
the  gift  of  the  august  widow  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon 


320     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

III.  to  the  community  of  Benedictine  monks  who 
succeeded  the  members  of  the  Order  of  Premontre  in 
what  had  been  only  a  priory.  But  for  simple  pathos 
no  previous  ecclesiastical  tableau  there  approached 
the  spectacle  witnessed  by  a  privileged  few  on  the 
3rd  of  September,  191 5,  when,  at  the  request  of 
the  Empress,  the  first  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the 
crypt  "  for  all  soldiers  killed  in  the  war." 

Some  few  of  those  who  knelt  round  the  venerable 
lady  remembered  that  September  3  is  a  "  date  '* 
in  the  history  of  France,  and  did  not  forget,  when 
offering  their  intercessions  for  the  souls  of  "  all 
soldiers  killed  in  the  war,"  that  on  this  day  in  1870 
the  captive  Emperor  reached  Bouillon,  on  his  way  to 
his  palatial  "  prison  "  at  Wilhelmshohe,  escorted  by 
a  Prussian  general. 

Those  who  had  not  seen  the  Empress  of  late  were 
agreeably  surprised  at  seeing  her  look  so  well.  At 
least  one — probably  only  one — could  carry  his 
thoughts  back  to  that  autumn  day  in  1870  when 
she  arrived  at  Chislehurst  after  her  flight  from  the 
Tuileries.  The  Empress  followed  the  Mass  with 
her  wonted  close  attention,  kneeling  and  rising  with 
no  perceptible  effort,  and,  when  she  left,  bestowing 
her  sad  smile  and  bow  seemingly  to  each  one  before 
whom  she  passed.  She  has  been  seen  at  St  Michael's 
oftener  of  late  years  than  at  previous  periods.  Since 
she  instituted  the  monthly  Mass  above  noted  (in 
September,  19 15),  she  has  regularly  attended  the 
service,  usually  accompanied  by  Prince  and  Princess 
Napoleon  and  others  staying  with  her. 

I  have  reluctantly  omitted  the  account  given 
by  M.  Emile  OUivier,  in  his  final  volume  of  his 
great  work,   "  L'Empire    Liberal,"   of   the    Empress 


ThK    E.Ml'kKSS    HUdKNIE    IN     I915,  CONSOI.I.NC.    ONIC  OK  TMK  WOlNKKr) 
OFFICERS  STAYINC  IN  THK  SANATORIIM  KSTAKI.ISMEI)  BV  UKR  ImI'KRIAI. 

Majesty  at  hkr  residence,  Faunboroicih  lliii 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY    32I 

Eugenie's  flight  from  the  Tuileries  on  the  4th  of 
September,  1870,  three  days  after  the  battle  of  Sedan 
and  the  surrender  of  the  Emperor  and  the  French 
army  to  the  victorious  Germans.  Mr  Evans,  the 
American  dentist,  and  one  of  his  friends  escorted  the 
Empress  and  Mme  Lebreton,  sister  of  General 
Bourbaki,  from  Paris  to  Trouville,  and  Sir  John 
Montagu  Burgoyne,  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Granville,  then 
Secretary  of  State  for  Foreign  Affairs,  describes 
how  he  conveyed  the  fugitives  across  the  Channel. 

In  December,  19 12,  Barre's  statue  of  Napoleon  III. 
was  sold  at  auction  in  Berlin  by  the  famous  firm 
of  Heilbronn.  With  this  bust  of  Napoleon  III.  the 
whole  world  may  be  considered  familiar,  since  it 
supplied  the  model  for  the  coinage  of  the  Second 
Empire.  Its  vicissitudes  began  in  1870,  in  the 
Franco-Prussian  War,  before  which  it  was  situated 
in  a  niche  outside  the  Hotel  de  Ville  at  Metz.  When 
the  fortress  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Germans 
the  bust  was  removed  and  put  in  a  barn.  Its 
subsequent  history  is  of  the  vaguest.  The  last  phase 
was  reached  when  it  made  thirty  pounds  under  the 
hammer  in  Berlin. 

The  Empress  naturally  follows  the  events  at  the 
theatre  of  war  with  the  closest  attention.  One  day  in 
September,  19 14,  her  visitors  included  Lord  Ports- 
mouth, who  was  Under-Secretary  for  War  in  "  C.B.'s  " 
Ministry  and  has  interests  in  Hampshire,  the  Empress's 
county  since  1880.  The  noble  lord  found  her  intently 
studying  the  maps,  and  remained  to  dine  with  the 
Empress,  who,  when  they  had  seated  themselves  at 
table,  said  apologetically  to  her  guest :  "  I  can  offer 
you  only  a  diner  de  guerre,  you  know,  as  my  cooks 
have  left  to  join  the  army  in  France  !  " 


322     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

In  October,  19 15,  a  "  live  "  shell  was  discovered  in 
a  hedge  bounding  the  Empress's  estate,  but  it  would 
have  required  something  more  than  this  curious 
"  find  "  to  ruffle  her  equanimity;  she  has  been  long 
past  surprises  of  every  kind.  "  Soldier  talk  "  comes 
naturally  to  her  and  forms  one  of  her  greatest  enjoy- 
ments. For  many  years  her  dinner  guests  have 
included  generals  and  other  officers  stationed  at 
Aldershot. 

In  his  "  Memories,"  published  by  Messrs  Hutchin- 
son &  Co.  in  19 1 5,  Lord  Redesdale  relates  this  very 
curious  episode  : 

"  One  afternoon,  in  1872,  I  was  all  alone  in  the 
Marlborough  Club,  when  Sleeman,  the  then  steward, 
came  into  the  room  surcharged  with  importance,  and 
told  me  that  the  Emperor  of  the  French,  who  was  a 
member,  was  down  below  and  asked  permission 
to  bring  in  the  Due  de  Bassano,  who  was  his  Lord 
Chamberlain.  It  was  his  first  visit  and  I  ran  down  to 
receive  him,  took  him  upstairs  and  established  him  in 
an  arm-chair  with  the  evening  paper.  After  a  while 
he  called  me  up  and  began  questioning  me  as  to  my 
profession  and  the  various  posts  at  which  I  had  been. 
We  had  a  long  talk,  for  he  had  to  kill  time  waiting 
for  his  train. 

"  Louis  Napoleon,  whose  faculty  of  silence  is  a 
matter  of  history,  was,  when  he  chose,  a  very  agree- 
able talker  and  his  conversation  was  pointed  by 
a  certain  dry,  sardonic  humour  accentuated  by  his 
rather  saturnine  appearance.  He  was  looking  miser- 
ably ill,  his  face  ashen  grey  and  his  lack-lustre  eyes 
significant  of  the  pain  by  which  for  years  he  had  been 
tortured.     His  figure  was  bowed  and  aged — obviously 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     323 

a  man  waging  an  unequal  war  with  disease.  He 
talked  a  good  deal  about  the  missionary  question 
in  China  and  Corea,  upon  which  he  was  thoroughly 
well  posted,  and  he  also  spoke  with  a  great  deal  of 
feeling  about  the  murder  of  his  men  of  the  Dupleix 
in  1868.  After  half  an  hour's  talk  with  him  I  under- 
stood the  charm  which  he  exercised  over  men  and 
women  when  he  chose  to  do  so.  I  also  understood 
that  when  Kinglake  fired  all  the  arrows  of  bitterness 
at  him  there  could  be  but  one  cause — a  woman." 

Lord  Redesdale  has  this  note  on  the  tragedy  which 
robbed  the  Empress  of  her  beloved  son  : 

"  In  June,  1879,  London  was  stirred  by  the  news  of 
the  death  of  the  Prince  Imperial  in  the  Zulu  war. 
That  afternoon  Sir  Coutts  and  Lady  Lindsay  had 
invited  a  few  people  to  see  the  pictures  at  the 
Grosvenor  Gallery.  As  I  was  going  away  I  met 
Lord  Beaconsfield  on  the  stairs.  He  stopped  me. 
'  This  is  terrible  news,'  he  said.  '  Yes,'  I  answered, 
'  and  I  am  afraid  that  the  French  will  accuse  our 
people  of  having  deserted  him  and  left  him  to  his 
fate.'  '  I  am  not  so  sure  that  they  will  be  wrong,'  he 
said,  and  then,  after  a  pause,  he  added  :  '  Well ! 
my  conscience  is  clear.  I  did  all  that  I  could  to  stop 
his  going.  But  what  can  you  do  when  you  have  to 
do  with  two  obstinate  women ! '  With  that  he  went 
up  the  stairs,  leaving  me  under  the  impression  that  he 
wished  what  he  had  said  to  be  repeated. 

"  The  Empress  over-persuaded  the  Queen,  and  the 
Prince  went  out.  It  was  a  wild-cat  scheme,  for  he 
was  sent  out  with  no  status  in  the  army,  and  therefore 
with  no  object,  but  the  Empress  thought  that  being 


324     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

a  Bonapartist  fighting  would  give  him  and  the  dynasty 
prestige  with  his  people,  and  so  an  important  life 
which  could  not  but  have  weighed  in  the  history  of 
Europe  was  sacrificed.  He  was  a  gallant  lad,  with 
good  abilities  and  a  great  favourite  with  his  contem- 
poraries at  our  military  college,  of  whom  my  brother-in 
law  was  one  and  a  great  friend  of  his.  I  only  met 
him  once,  but  was  much  struck  by  his  charm  of 
manner." 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  were  often  visited  at 
Chislehurst  by  the  celebrated  actor,  M.  Frederic 
Febvre,  who,  at  the  time  these  lines  are  being  penned 
(March,  191 6),  is  still  ex-vice-doyen  of  the  Comedie 
Frangaise.  He  was  honoured  with  the  friendship 
of  King  Edward,  who  gave  him  a  walking-stick, 
which  the  actor  proudly  displayed  when  he  came 
to  London.  M.  Febvre  used  to  tell  this  story.  While 
the  Emperor  was  still  at  the  Tuileries  M.  Got,  the 
celebrated  actor,  obtained  a  private  audience  of  his 
Majesty,  with  the  object  of  begging  him  to  pardon  a 
young  man  who  had  been  sentenced  to  transportation 
for  publishing  a  political  pamphlet  of  exceptional 
violence.  "  How  old  is  your  protege.^  "  asked  the 
Emperor.  "  Twenty,  Sire."  "  Has  he  a  mother.'^  " 
"  Yes,  Sire;  she  is  overwhelmed  with  grief;  the  son 
was  her  sole  support."  "  Has  he  any  talent.^  " 
"  Yes,  Sire — an  abundance  of  talent."  "  What  a 
pity  it  is,"  said  the  Emperor,  "  that  he  did  not  exer- 
cise it  to  write  a  fine  play,  or  a  fine  book !  A 
pamphlet  attacking  me  will  be  valueless  at  my  death, 
but  a  fine  literary  work  lasts  for  ever.  I  am  certain 
that  M.  Hugo's  admirable  plays  will  last  longer  than 
the  'Chatiments.'"     M.  Got  had  drawn  up,  on  behalf 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     325 

of  the  culprit's  mother,  a  petition,  which  he  handed 
to  his  Majesty,  who,  after  carefully  perusing  it,  said  : 
"  Wait  a  moment,  sir,  and  I  will  give  you  a  letter  to 
take  to  the  Ministry  of  Marine.  You  must  ask  to 
see  the  Minister  himself.  You  will  naturally  be 
told  that  the  Minister  cannot  see  you,  but,  perhaps, 
if  you  say  that  I  sent  you,  he  will  receive  you."  The 
actor,  having  warmly  thanked  his  Majesty,  was 
retiring,  when  the  Emperor,  in  the  most  kindly 
manner,  exclaimed,  "  But  don't  let  him  do  it  again ! 
Got  duly  handed  the  Emperor's  letter  to  the  Minister, 
who  read  it  with  the  greatest  surprise.  Having 
consulted  the  heads  of  several  departments,  he  turned 
to  his  visitor,  with  the  remark,  "  It  is  done.  Monsieur 
Got.  The  Emperor's  orders  have  been  carried  out." 
The  actor  ventured  to  inquire  what  the  letter  had 
contained.  "  What !  "  answered  the  Minister,  "  did 
not  his  Majesty  tell  you?  "  "  Not  a  word."  Got 
then  learnt,  for  the  first  time,  that  the  Emperor  had 
given  orders  for  the  prisoner's  immediate  release,  and 
had  added  that,  if  the  ship  conveying  the  young 
pamphleteer  had  already  sailed,  another  vessel  was  to 
be  sent  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  him  back  safe  and 
sound.  "  Thus,"  says  M.  Febvre,  in  telling  the  story, 
"  everything  was  done  in  accordance  with  the  Em- 
peror's orders.  I  may  add — and  it  is  not  unimportant 
— that  our  '  doyen,'  Got,  was  an  Orleanist !  " 

As  our  great  King  to  whom  she  and  the  Emperor 
were  so  attached  was  a  man  of  moods  so  is  the  Empress 
a  woman  of  moods,  and  the  phases  of  her  complex 
character,  the  shades  of  her  remarkable  personality, 
would  probably  have  remained  concealed  from  the 
outer  world  for  ever  had  not  the  veil  happily  been 
lifted  by  one  of  her  own  proteges,  one,  moreover,  who 


326     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

bears  a  name  famous  in  French  literature — the  name 
of  Daudet.  The  son  (Lucien  Alphonse)  of  the 
creator  of  the  incomparable  Alpinist  Tartarin 
is  always  a  welcome  guest  at  "  The  Hill  "  and  at 
Villa  Cyrnos,  and  he  has  made  it  one  of  the  objects 
of  his  life  to  limn  the  traits  of  the  Empress  and  to 
analyse  her  emotions  with  an  unsurpassed  fidelity. 
It  is  no  lay  figure  that  he  has  studied,  but  the  actual, 
living  figure.  The  Empress — and  on  this  point  I  can 
speak  with  certainty — has  the  greatest  dislike  for 
publicity;  but  to  this  rule  she  makes  an  occasional 
exception,  as  in  the  instance  here  indicated,  and  even 
gives  her  imprimatur  to  what  is  told  of  her.  Similar 
freedom  was  once  accorded  to  the  late  M.  Gaston 
Calmette,  who  wrote  the  memorable  "  defence  " 
of  her  Majesty  which  appears  in  my  first  volume, 
"  The  Empress  Eugenie  :    1870 — 19 10."  * 

The  pompous  titles  (wrote  the  late  Jules  Claretie) 
that  we  see  inscribed  in  the  pages,  already  quite 
yellow,  of  the  last  "  Almanach  Imperial,"  have 
assumed  an  aspect  of  the  deepest  melancholy  by 
reason  of  their  echoes  among  the  pictures  of  desolation 
and  death.  The  "  great  dignitaries  "  of  the  Empire 
— the  Senators  of  that  epoch,  in  their  blue  cloth  coats 
embroidered  with  gold  palms  and  sprays  of  leafage, 
gold  thread  and  spangles;  white  cashmere  breeches 
with  gold  stripes ;  cocked  hats  with  white  plumes  and 
swords  with  pearl  hilts  and  embossed  eagles — have 
a  singular  effect  at  this  distance  of  time.  The 
Deputies  of  that  period — already  so  far  off — in  their 
black-plumed  hats,  silver  olive  branches  and  waist- 

*  M.  Calmette,  editor  of  the  Paris  "Figaro,"  was 
assassinated  in  the  office  of  his  paper  on  March  16,  191 4,  by 
Mme  Caillaux. 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     327 

coats  with  gold  buttons,  have  not,  despite  gorgeous 
costumes,  retained  much  prestige  in  the  eyes  of  the 
young  people  of  to-day. 

Many  saw  Prince  Napoleon  for  the  first  time  at  the 
War  Exhibition  at  Prince's  Skating  Rink,  which 
was  formally  opened  in  19 15  by  the  Princess.  The 
centenary  of  Waterloo  evoked  a  flood  of  Napoleonic 
recollections,  but  no  mention  of  the  surviving  members 
of  the  family  of  the  Great  Emperor.  They  are 
very  few  in  number,  and,  needless  to  say,  the  Imperial 
lady  at  Farnborough  is  not  one  of  "  the  family  " 
except  by  marriage. 

The  principal  survivors  entitled  to  bear  the  name 
of  "  Napoleon,"  or  that  of  "  Bonaparte,"  are  Prince 
Victor  (head  of  the  House),  his  brother.  Prince  Louis 
and  the  Dowager-Duchess  d'Aoste,  only  sister  of  the 
two  Princes,  and  widow  of  the  Italian  Prince  Amadeo, 
who  ruled  Spain  as  its  King  for  a  brief  space  previous 
to  the  accession  of  Alfonso  XII.,  father  of  the  present 
Sovereign. 

Then  there  is  Prince  Roland  Bonaparte  (not 
"  Napoleon  "),  the  eminent  savant,  and  father  of 
Princess  George  of  Greece,  whose  great  inherited 
wealth  came  from  her  grandfather  on  the  maternal 
side,  M.  Francois  Blanc,  of  Monte  Carlo  fame. 
Prince  Roland  is  the  Crcesus  of  the  family.  His 
father-in-law  left  about  ;^  8,000,000,  and  is  reputed  to 
have  said  that  he  regretted  he  could  not  have  lived 
a  few  more  years  and  so  increased  his  "  pile." 
Prince  Roland  is  correctly  styled  "  Bonaparte  "  for 
this  little-known  reason.  When  the  First  Consul 
abandoned  the  name  "  Bonaparte  "  in  favour  of 
"  Napoleon,"  he  bestowed  that  latter  name  upon  all 
the   members   of   his    family,   excepting   his   brother 


328     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Lucien.  Consequently,  only  the  descendants  of  that 
younger  brother  of  the  Emperor — that  is,  Prince 
Roland  and  Mr  Jerome  Bonaparte  (who  was  married 
at  New  York  a  year  or  so  ago) — retain  the  name 
of  Bonaparte. 

This  double  nomenclature  has  not  only  puzzled  the 
world  at  large,  but  it  has  led  to  official  blundering. 
Thus,  two  years  before  his  death  in  Zululand  in  1879, 
the  banished  Prince  Imperial  was  inscribed  on  the 
lists  of  Frenchmen  liable  for  service  in  the  army 
under  the  inaccurate  surname  of  "  Bonaparte,"  while 
the  Princes  Victor  and  Louis  were  rightly  entered 
"  Napoleon."  But  in  February  19 14  the  French 
Ministry  of  the  Interior  displayed  its  ignorance  of  the 
distinction  by  officially  entering  in  its  records  the 
infant  son  of  Prince  Victor  Napoleon  as  "  Bonaparte." 
This  boy  must  not  be  forgotten,  for,  born  on  January 
23,  19 14,  in  Brussels,  he  is  the  fourth  on  the  list  of 
notable  survivors  of  the  great  Napoleonic  (or  Bona- 
partist)  family.  The  father  of  Prince  Victor  and 
Louis  was  the  son  of  the  great  Emperor's  brother, 
the  King  of  Westphalia,  who  is  not  accorded  a 
particularly  high  place  in  French  history;  and  that 
Sovereign's  consort  was  the  daughter  of  King 
Frederick  I.  of  Wiirttemberg.  Neither  Victor  nor 
Louis  facially  resembles  the  founder  of  the  family, 
but  their  father  was  markedly  like  Napoleon  I. 

•  Prince  Victor's  last  pronouncement  was  a  letter, 
dated  April  12,  19 14,  addressed  to  the  well-known 
General  Thomassin,  a  former  commander  of  an  army 
corps,  in  which  the  Pretender  declared,  as  has  now 
been  proved,  that  "only  a  return  to  the  three  years' 
service  could  give  the  army  the  strength  and  cohesion 
necessary  to  ensure  the  greatness  of  France," 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     329 

While  Prince  Victor  is  exiled  from  France,  his 
brother,  Prince  Louis,  is  free  to  visit  his  native 
country  whenever  he  pleases.  In  July,  191 5,  as  chief 
of  the  Russian  mission,  Prince  Louis  was  attached  to 
the  staff  of  General  Cadorna,  having  left  Turin  with 
the  Italian  troops.  He  had  served  in  the  Italian 
army  before  entering-  the  Russian  military  service 
and  commanding  a  division.  He  is  the  only  French 
Prince  at  the  front;  the  offer  of  the  Due  d'Orleans 
to  join  the  French  army  having  been  naturally  rejected. 
Is  he  not  the  Royalist  Pretender  to  the  throne  of 
France?  In  19 14-19 16  he  was,  like  Prince  Victor,  a 
refugee  in  England. 

The  Princes  Victor  and  Louis  Napoleon  have  only 
one  sister.  Princess  Laetitia,  Dowager-Duchesse  d'Aoste, 
who  was  born  in  Paris,  and  in  1888  married,  as  his 
second  wife,  that  Due  d'Aoste  who,  in  the  early 
seventies,  had  reigned  as  King  of  Spain  for  about 
three  years.  Princess  Laetitia  was  born  in  Paris,  but, 
as  she  was  only  five  years  old  when  the  Revolution 
of  the  4th  of  September  closed  against  her  the 
gates  of  the  Palais  Royal,  any  memories  she  may 
have  retained  of  those  troubled  times  must  necessarily 
be  effaced  or  dim.  She  has  inherited  the  stately 
and  classical  beauty  of  her  Austrian  grandmother, 
Queen  Adelaide,  while  something  in  her  whole  person 
recalls  her  father  and  the  cast  of  the  Bonapartes 
before  growing  embonpoint  had  marred  the  regularity 
of  the  late  Prince  Napoleon's  face.  Clever,  intel- 
ligent, fond  of  letters  and  arts,  her  father  was 
never  able  to  acquire  a  lasting  influence  either  on  men 
or  events.  Cold,  reserved,  patient,  silent  and 
resigned,  her  mother,  the  late  Princess  Clotilde  of 
Savoy,   had  ever  been    surrounded   by  respect    and 


330     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

admiration — a  fitting  tribute  to  the  spotless  purity  of 
her  whole  life.  Princess  Laetitia  was  brought  up 
almost  entirely  by  her  mother,  and  was  never  separated 
from  her,  either  at  the  Palace  of  Moncalieri,  in 
Piedmont,  or  at  Prangins,  in  Switzerland.  I  cannot 
recall  any  visit,  or  visits,  paid  by  her  to  the  Empress 
either  at  Chislehurst,  Farnborough,  or  Cap  Martin. 
I  have  heard  that  she  declined  an  offer  of  marriage 
made  to  her  in  1887  by  her  widower  cousin,  Prince 
Roland  Bonaparte,  father  of  Princess  George  of 
Greece. 

The  birth  at  Brussels  of  Prince  and  Princess 
Napoleon's  daughter  (March,  19 12)  opened  the 
floodgates  of  speculation.  What  effect,  if  any,  it 
was  asked,  would  the  birth  of  a  princess  have  upon 
the  Pretender's  future  chances  of  success?  "  In 
what  way,"  said  one  of  the  Prince's  friends,  "  can 
the  birth  of  a  princess  perturb  the  Bonapartists  ? 
The  Napoleonic  idea  is  not  based  upon  dynastic 
heredity.  The  Prince  recalled  the  fact  himself  in 
191 1,  when  he  said:  'I  don't  claim  a  dynastic 
right.  I  am  a  son  of  modern  France.  I  remain 
faithful  to  the  traditions  inculcated  by  the  French 
revolution;  sovereignty  of  the  nation,  civic  equality, 
liberty  of  conscience  and  social  progress.'  " 

Referring  to  the  Republicans  who  go  over  to  the 
Bonapartists,  the  Prince's  friend  said :  "  These 
Republicans  do  not  wish  to  destroy  the  Republic. 
They  wish  to  give  it  another  form.  Their  idea 
is  that  Consular  Republic  of  which  the  Due  de 
Broglie  has  said  that  it  was  the  most  glorious  period 
in  the  history  of  France.  The  birth  of  a  son 
might  have  alarmed  them;  that  of  a  daughter,  on 
the  contrary,   releases  them   from  all  anxiety  as  to 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     331 

ulterior  developments.  In  other  words,  there  is 
no  fear  of  the  Prince  following  the  example  of 
Napoleon  III.  and  seeking  to  make  himself  Emperor 
after  having  been  elected  Prince-President." 

A  Brussels  friend  of  Prince  Napoleon,  who  was 
questioned  concerning  the  alleged  Bonapartist 
propaganda  in  the  French  army,  said  : 

There  are  agents  provocateurs,  and  there  are  no  conspirators. 
This  is  the  absolute  will  of  the  Prince,  who  is,  above  all, 
a  partisan  of  legality.  The  last  circular  of  the  Plebiscitary 
Committee  makes  this  very  clear.  The  Prince,  it  says,  putting 
aside  his  personal  interest,  wishes  the  army  to  be  above 
party  quarrels,  and  forbids  his  partisans  to  take  any  steps 
which  would  have  as  a  result  the  compromising  of  discipline 
or  the  estrangement  of  French  soldiers  from  their  military 
duties.  Those  who  place  themselves  outside  the  law  will 
never  be  admitted  among  the  Prince's  followers.  It  is  by 
legal  means  only  that  the  Prince  wishes  to  be  called  upon 
to  regenerate  France ;  he  detests  coups  de  force ;  he  would, 
you  may  be  sure,  make  as  good  a  President  of  the  Republic 
as  many  others. 

M.  Gauthier  de  Clagny,  the  well-known  Bonapartist, 
was  interviewed  on  the  subject : 

"  The  Prince  then  aspires  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
Republic?  "   asked  the   interviewer. 

"That  is  so,"  replied  M.  de  Clagny. 

^"  But  it  could  not  be  accomplished  without  a  coup  d'6tat 
or  a  revolution?  " 

"  That  is  a  mistake.  He  could  become  President  of  the 
Republic  in  a  most  normal  manner  and  by  means  of  absolute 
legality.  It  would  only  be  necessary  to  modify  three 
legislative  acts,  in  particular  the  law  of  1886  concerning 
members  of  families  which  have  already  reigned  in  France." 

"  But  supposing  the  Prince  became  President.  Would  he 
not  have  too  much  authority  and  should  we  not  have  to  fear 
a  return  of  personal  power?" 


332     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

"  The  situation  is  not  the  same  as  in  1799  and  1851.  We 
have  had  an  uninterrupted  spell  of  sixty  years'  democratic 
government,  and  the  people  is  no  longer  the  same.  The 
Prince  understands  better  than  anybody  the  necessities  of  our 
epoch  and  the  difference  of  the  conditions  of  government. 
As  regards  the  birth  of  a  princess,  the  Prince  declares  to  all 
his  partisans  that  birth  cannot  confer  any  right." 

Prince  and  Princess  Napoleon's  son,  and  heir 
to  the  Pretendership,  was  born  at  Brussels  on 
January  23,  19 14,  and  was  christened  by  the  Almoner 
of  the  Belgian  Court  on  May  23,  receiving  the 
names  Louis  Jerome  Victor  Emmanuel  Leopold 
Marie.  The  godfather  was  General  Prince  Louis 
(Prince  Napoleon's  brother)  and  the  godmother  the 
Dowager  Queen  of  Italy,  who  was  represented  by  the 
Duchesse  d'Aoste. 

The  marriage  of  Prince  Napoleon  and  Princesse 
Clementine  was  solemnised  at  the  Chateau  of  Mon- 
calieri,  then  the  residence  of  the  Prince's  late  mother, 
on  November  14,  19 10.  Among  the  bride's  four 
"  witnesses  "  was  Mile  de  Bassano,  granddaughter 
of  the  second  Due  de  Bassano,  Grand  Chamberlain 
to  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III.,  and  daughter  of 
the  third  Duke,  who  died  leaving  no  issue ;  conse- 
quently the  ducal  title  is  now  extinct.  Of  the 
second  Due  de  Bassano,  I  have  a  grateful  recollection, 
for  on  the  day  after  the  Emperor's  death  at  Chisle- 
hurst  he  took  me  into  the  room  where  the  Empress's 
consort  was  lying  after  the  body  had  been  embalmed. 
I  received  many  other  kindnesses  from  Mile  de 
Bassano's  grandfather,  and  learnt  from  him  much 
which  I  recorded  at  the  time  in  the  "  Morning 
Post."  The  Bassanos  descended  from  Maret, 
whose    devotion    Napoleon    I.    rewarded   by    ennob- 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     sss 

ling  him  in  1909.  Maret  owed  his  fortune 
to  journalism,  "  qui  mene  a  tout,  a  la  condition 
d'en  sortir,"  *  and  which  led  him  to  diplomacy. 
The  members  of  this  noted  family  have  been  always 
affectionately  regarded  by  the  Empress,  whose 
principal  dame  d'honneur  was  Mile  de  Bassano's 
grandmother. 

Prince  Napoleon  has  maintained  a  discreet  silence 
since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  which  led  to  his 
departure  (with  his  consort  and  their  two  children) 
from  Brussels  for  England.  One  of  his  last 
political  pronouncements  dates  from  19 13.  On 
December  14  in  that  year  the  Comites  Plebiscitaires 
de  la  Seine  celebrated  the  anniversary  of  Prince 
Louis  Napoleon  (afterwards  Emperor)  to  the 
Presidency  of  the  Republic  (December  10,  1848). 
At  a  banquet,  at  which  two  thousand  leading 
Bonapartists  were  present,  the  chairman,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Rousset,  read  a  letter  from  Prince  Napoleon 
which  concluded  with  these  words  :  "  Parliamentarism 
leads  the  country  to  the  worst  destiny.  The  day 
will  come  when  the  appeal  to  the  people  will  be 
regarded  as  the  only  solution  capable  of  assuring 
to  France  a  strong  and  democratic  Government. 
Have  confidence  in  the  future,  as  I  have. — 
Napoleon." 

Mr  James  Mortimer  died  at  San  Sebastian  on 
February  24,  191 1,  and  was  honoured  with  long 
obituary  notices  in  the  "  Times  "  and  the  "  Morning 
Post."  The  "  Times  "  memoir  contained  this  pass- 
age: 

*  This  mot  has  been  erroneously  attributed  to  Thiers  and 
to  Emile  de  Girardin,  but  Dr  Max  Nordau  accords  the  credit 
for  it  to  a  Frenchman  whose  name  is  unknown  in  this  country. 


334     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

The  Emperor  Napoleon  III.,  happening  to  read  some  articles 
by  Mortimer  in  which  his  own  schemes  were  very  sympathetic- 
ally treated,  sent  for  the  writer  and  expressed  his  gratitude. 
From  this  time  until  his  death  the  Emperor  maintained  very 
friendly  relations  with  Mr  Mortimer.  Twice  during  his 
captivity  at  Wilhelmshohe  Mr  Mortimer  went  to  the  Emperor 
on  missions  for  the  Empress  Eugenie ;  and  he  was  the  last 
person  to  speak  to  him  before  the  fatal  operation  in  1873. 
In  a  biography  published  in  the  "English  Magazine"  last 
year  the  story  is  told  of  how  the  Emperor  and  Empress  came 
to  select  Chislehurst  as  their  English  residence.  Mr  Mortimer 
received  a  telegram  from  the  Empress  in  September,  1870, 
asking  him  to  meet  her  at  Hastings.  On  his  way  to  Charing 
Cross  Station  he  met  a  friend,  Mr  N.  W,  Strode,  who,  on 
hearing  the  news  of  the  Empress's  flight,  suggested  that  she 
should  come  as  his  guest  to  his  house,  Camden  Place,  Chisle- 
hurst, which  was  eventually  rented  by  the  Emperor  and 
Empress.  Before  the  war  of  1870  the  Emperor  provided 
Mr  Mortimer  with  the  means  to  establsh  the  "  London  Figaro," 
which  made  its  first  appearance  on  May  17,  1870,  and  was 
owned  and  edited  by  him  for  fourteen  years.  Mr  Mortimer 
sold  the  paper  in  1884.  Some  years  later  the  copyright  was 
repurchased  and  presented  to  him  by  a  friend,  but  he  was 
unable  to  keep  it  up,  and  after  six  months  it  came  to  an  end. 

In  the  "  Morning  Post  "  (February  27,  191 1)  it  was 
stated  that : 

Mr  Mortimer  was  born  at  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1833, 
and  became  the  editor  of  a  Philadelphia  newspaper  at  the  age 
of  twenty-two,  an  occupation,  however,  quickly  exchanged 
for  that  of  Attach^  to  the  American  Legation  in  Paris,  where 
he  went  in  1855,  and,  soon  acquiring  an  intimate  facility  in 
the  French  language,  became  a  Parisian  of  the  brilliant  period 
of  the  Second  Empire.  Diplomacy  took  him  to  Rome  and 
St  Petersburg,  and  he  gained  the  friendship  of  Napoleon  III., 
who  made  him  a  Knight  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  and  of  the 
Empress  Eugenie,  whose  departure  for  England  after  Sedan 
Mortimer  was  instrumental  in  arranging.  But  long  before 
this  he  had  left  the  Diplomatic  Service,  again  turning  to 
journalism    in    i860   as   the    Paris    correspondent    of   the    New 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY    335 

York  "  Express  "  and  other  papers.  The  Franco-German  War 
was  the  occasion  of  his  migration  to  London,  where  he  scored 
an  immediate  success  with  the  "  Figaro,"  a  journal  of  a  kind 
quite  new  to  the  English  public.  It  gained  immense  popularity, 
and  the  lively  manner  in  which  its  motto,  "  Now  step  I  forth 
to  whip  hypocrisy,"  was  carried  into  effect  is  still  well 
remembered. 

In  a  letter  addressed  by  me  to  the  "  Times,"  I 
remarked  that  it  was  curious  that  no  mention  of 
Mr  Mortimer's  presence  at  Wilhelmshohe  is  made  by 
General  Count  von  Monts  in  his  detailed  account  of 
events  there  during  the  Emperor  Napoleon's  residence 
at  Wilhelmshohe  as  a  captive  from  early  in  September, 
1870,  until  the  third  week  of  March,  1871.  I 
questioned  the  accuracy  of  the  assertion  that  Mr 
Mortimer  was  "  the  last  person  to  speak  to  the 
Emperor  before  the  fatal  operation  in  1873,"  and 
observed  that  the  names  of  all  the  persons  who  were 
at  Chislehurst  during  the  Emperor's  illness  were 
known,  and  that  Mr  Mortimer's  name  did  not  appear 
among  them.  That  he  should  have  been  there  at  one 
time  or  other  while  his  Majesty  was  suffering  was, 
I  added,  highly  probable.  But  I  have  never  heard 
that  he  was  the  last  to  speak  to  the  Emperor.  My 
letter  duly  appeared  in  the  "  Times,"  but  no  reply  to 
it  was  published. 

I  think  the  statement  in  the  "  Morning  Post's  " 
memoir  that  Mr  Mortimer  "  was  instrumental  in 
arranging  the  Empress's  departure  [from  Paris] 
for  England  after  Sedan  "  wholly  inaccurate.  Mr 
Evans,  the  American  dentist,  has  narrated  the  facts  in 
his  reminiscences. 

When  the  daily  "London  Figaro"  was  started  (May, 
1870,  two  months  before   France  declared  war  with 


336     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Prussia),  the  working  editor  of  the  paper  was  my 
friend,  Mr  John  Plummer,  who,  in  letters  to  me, 
dated,  "  Northwood,  Lane  Cove  River,  Sydney  " 
(October,  191 1,  and  January,  191 2),  said: 

My  impression  is  that  Mortimer  was  subsidised  by  the  French 
Secret  Service  Fund,  but  he  was  very  reserved,  even  to  his 
most  intimate  friends.  I  had  to  pen  a  letter  to  be  shown  by 
him  to  the  Emperor.  Later  on  you  shall  have  the  whole  story 
of  the  "  Figaro."  Every  account  of  the  manner  in  which  it 
was  started  is  incorrect,  especially  that  furnished  by  Clement  W. 
Scott,  who  was  a  perfect  stranger  to  Mortimer.  I  had  a 
couple  of  short  interviews  with  the  Emperor  in  Paris.  Although 
in  my  eighty-first  year  I  am  in  good  health. 

In  his  second  letter  Mr  Plummer  wrote  : 

Your  ' '  Comedy  and  Tragedy  of  the  Second  Empire  ' '  throws 
a  new  light  on  the  character  of  the  Emperor  and  his  surround- 
ings, and  you  have  touched  upon  some  rather  dangerous 
points  with  rare  skill.  Mortimer  never  told  me  that  the 
Emperor  gave  him  financial  assistance,  but  led  me  to  infer  it, 
and  the  whole  of  my  correspondence  with  him  was  penned  on 
the  understanding  that  my  letters  would  be  submitted  to 
the  Emperor.  My  impression  is  that  M.  Pietri  is  acquainted 
with  everything.  There  were  also  two  or  three  wealthy  French 
ladies  who  had  a  finger  in  the  pie,  but  the  name  of  the 
Empress  was  never  mentioned.  Mr  Evans  [the  American 
dentist  referred  to  above]  was  a  great  friend  of  Mortimer's. 
It  was  Sedan  which  killed  the  daily  issue  [of  the  "  London 
Figaro  "].  Thenceforth  it  was  a  struggle  for  existence  as  a 
weekly. 

"  How  many  people  know  that  the  Empress  Eugenie 
once  owned  a  London  newspaper?  "  asked  a  writer 
in  "  London  Opinion  "  in  December,  19 12,  and 
continued  as  follows  : — 

When  her  old  enemy,  Henri  Rochefort,  escaped  from  the 
penal  colony  of  New  Caledonia,  she  was  in  despair ;  and  when, 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     Z2>7 

on  his  way  to  England,  he  announced  his  intention  of  reviving 
his  bitter  journal,  "La  Lanterne,"  in  London  (of  course 
he  dared  not  cross  the  borders  of  France)  the  Empress 
was  prostrated  by  the  fear  of  his  pitiless  rancour.  But  among 
the  visitors  to  the  Imperial  exile  at  Farnborough  was  James 
Mortimer,  a  well-known  journalist  of  those  times ;  and  he  hit 
upon  the  idea  of  shutting  Rochefort  out  of  London  by  forestalling 
him.  Mortimer,  therefore,  liberally  financed  by  the  Empress,  got 
out  on  1 8th  May,  1874,  the  first  issue  of  a  handsome  twelve- 
page  paper,  the  "  Lantern,"  with  four  pages  of  superb  illus- 
trations in  colour,  price  sixpence.  Here  is  a  sample  from  it : 
"It  is  reported  that  M.  Rochefort  is  in  England.  It  is 
further  affirmed  that  it  is  his  intention  to  proceed  to  Belgium 
or  Switzerland  to  fight  certain  journalists  who  have  not  had 
the  courtesy  to  suppress  the  truth  about  him,  though  he  never 
told  it  of  them.  We  presume,  however,  this  rumour  is  false; 
M.  Rochefort  must  retain  enough  of  the  knowledge  he 
acquired  when  he  was  esteemed  a  gentleman  to  be  aware 
that  a  meeting  between  him  and  a  journalist  is  now  impossible. 
M.  Rochefort,  we  believe,  is  already  suffering  from  an  unhealed 
wound.  It  is  his  mouth."  Rochefort's  French  friends  had 
expended  thousands  of  pounds  in  a  plant  for  their  own  journal 
in  London ;  but,  thus  forestalled,  after  some  futile  attempts 
at  relief  and  redress,  Rochefort  took  himself  off  to  Belgium  : 
and  the  Empress  Eugenie  ceased  to  be  a  London  newspaper 
owner. 

In  January,  19 13,  Mr  John  Plummer  wrote  to  me  on 
this  subject  as  under :  "  The  statement  is  new  to 
me ;  certainly  it  was  never  mentioned  by  Clement  W. 
Scott,  Aglen  A.  Dowty,  John  Hopkins  and  other 
old  confreres.  The  extract  is  somewhat  in  Mortimer's 
style,  but  it  is  highly  improbable  that  the  Empress 
had  anything  to  do  with  it.  She  had  nothing  to  fear 
from  any  adverse  action  on  the  part  of  Rochefort, 
and,  from  what  I  was  told,  held  his  threats  and  those 
of  his  friends  in  contempt.  The  story  of  the  expendi- 
ture of  '  thousands  of  pounds  '  on  a  printing  plant  for 
a  Rochefort  paper  is  simply  ridiculous." 


338     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

The  presumed  part  taken  by  the  Empress  Eugenie 
in  the  London  "  Lantern  "  was  noticed  in  some 
detail  by  Mr  Clement  Shorter  in  the  "  Sphere  " 
(Literary  Letter)  as  recently  as  February  5,  19 16. 
In  the  "  Collected  Works  of  Ambrose  Bierce,"  an 
American  series  of  books,  there  are  "  Bits  of 
Autobiography,"  upon  which  Mr  Shorter  thus 
comments  : 

"  It  would  seem  that  James  Mortimer,  who  after- 
wards founded  and  edited  the  [weekly]  '  Figaro,' 
was  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  Empress  Eugenie  at 
Chislehurst.  He  found  the  Empress  worried  at 
the  threat  of  M.  Henri  Rochefort  that  he  would 
start  his  paper,  the  '  Lanterne,'  in  London.  Mortimer 
suggested  the  foundation  and  registering  of  such 
a  paper  here,  and  the  '  Lantern  '  duly  appeared 
in  May,  1874.  It  was  a  twelve-page  paper,  with 
four  pages  of  superb  illustrations  in  six  colours. 
It  was  sold  at  sixpence.  Bierce  tells  us  that  he 
wrote  the  whole  paper,  and  gives  extracts  from 
his  articles.  A  second  issue  appeared  in  July,  and 
then  the  journal  stopped.  It  had  done  its  work. 
Rochefort  found  that  his  title  was  impossible  of 
use  in  this  country.  This  picture  of  an  Empress  as 
newspaper  proprietor  has  its  romantic  side." 

Mr  Shorter  further  tells  us  that  Ambrose  Bierce  was 
"  once  on  '  Fun,'  "  a  London  weekly  "  comic  " 
paper  which  I  well  remember,  although  I  cannot 
recall  the  London  "  Lantern,"  while  even  John 
Plummer's  mind  is  a  blank  concerning  it.  I  think 
my  readers  will  join  with  me  in  thanking  Mr  Shorter 
for  his  piquant  revelation  of  a  very  curious  episode 
in  the  Empress's  English  life. 


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EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     339 

I  have  mentioned  John  Plummet  and  his  close 
association  with  the  London  daily,  not  the  later 
weekly,  "  Figaro."  John  Stuart  Mill  knew  him, 
and,  writing  from  Blackheath  Park,  Kent,  on  March 
8,  1867,  sent  him  a  very  cordial  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  the  late  M.  Gustave  d'Eichthal,  an 
eminent  French  publicist.  Mr  Mills,  writing  in 
perfect  French,  said  Plummer  had  gone  to  Paris  as 
the  representative  of  several  associations  of  workmen, 
in  the  hope  of  getting  for  them  facilities  for 
inspecting  the  Exhibition  which  drew  all  the  world  to 
the  French  capital  in  that  "  great  year  "  of  the 
Second  Empire.  *  "  Mr  Plummer,"  wrote  J.  S.  Mill, 
"  is  a  remarkable  man.  He  was  long  an  artisan 
in  a  small  provincial  town.  He  began  writing 
under  the  stimulus  of  indignation  against  certain 
practices  of  the  Trades  Unions.  He  is  now  an 
author  and  a  journalist,  and  his  writings  on  all 
questions  of  interest  to  working-men  are  remarkable 
for  their  good  sense,  enlightened  philanthropy,  and 
even  purity  of  style."  John  Plummer's  career  is 
the  more  notable  inasmuch  as  he  suffered,  and  suffers, 
from  the  disability  of  deafness.  Of  Mortimer 
Mr  Geo.  R.  Sims  ("  My  Life  ")  tells  us :  "  To 
the  last  he  had  a  habit  of  pulling  out  a  gold  watch 
on  the  slightest  provocation  and  letting  you  see 
by  the  inscription  that  it  had  been  presented  to 
him  by  the  Empress  of  the  French.  Peace  to  his 
memory !  "  t 

In  the  "  Times  "  (April  20,  19 14)  Mr  Gardner 
Engleheart,  28  Curzon  Street,  narrated  this  anecdote 

*  Fully  described  in  my  previous  volumes. 
+  "  Evening  News,"   February   ii,    1916. 


340     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

of   the    Emperor  when,   as    Prince   Louis  Napoleon, 
he  was  residing  in  London  : 

In  your  impression  of  the  14th  inst.  you  published  an 
amusing-  and  interesting  letter  from  the  Right  Hon.  Sir 
Spencer  Ponsonby  Fane  *  of  his  experiences  on  April  10,  1848, 
the  day  of  the  so-called  Chartist  Riot.  As  my  experience  of 
that  day  involves  a  curious  episode  in  the  life  of  a  historic 
personage,  you  may  possibly  consider  it  worth  recording. 
I  was  not,  like  my  friend  Sir  Spencer,  armed  with  a  Tower 
musket,  nor  did  I  fight  behind  a  barricade  of  heavy  volumes 
of  the  "Times"  newspaper  impervious  to  fire  and  sword. 
I  spent  the  day  in  the  open,  and,  armed  with  a  policeman's 
staff,  was  ordered  to  parade  Pall  Mall  in  company  with  three 
others,  only  one  of  whom  was  ever  known  to  fame — and 
he  was  very  much  known  :  the  late  Emperor  of  the  French, 
then  Prince  Louis  Napoleon.  He  was  rather  taciturn,  but 
very  pleasant ;  he  had  discarded  his  staff  for  a  light  gold- 
headed  cane,  but  was  very  efficient  in  the  only  deed  of  valour 
we  accomplished  on  that  day,  the  capture  of  a  drunken  old 
woman,  whom  he  duly  handed  over  to  the  authorities.  I  often 
wondered  whether  our  Imperial  comrade  ever  in  the  course  of 
his  eventful  life  recalled  his  early  contribution  to  the  cause 
of  order  in  aiding  to  protect  London  clubland  in  return  for 
the  protection  he  was  himself  then  receiving  in  this  country. 
There  cannot  be  many  now  alive  who,  like  Sir  Spencer  and 
myself,  served  our  country  on  that  memorable  day. 

Napoleon  IIL,  both  as  Prince-President  and  as 
Emperor,  had  in  this  country  no  more  whole-hearted, 
enthusiastic  an  admirer  than  Captain  Gronow,  whose 
two  volumes  of  "  memories  "  t  contain  many  pages 
devoted  to  the  Empress  Eugenie's  consort,  but  very 

*  Died,  aged  ninety-two,  1915. 

t  "The  Reminiscences  and  Recollections  of  Captain  Gronow. 

Anecdotes      of     the     Camp,  Court,      Clubs      and      Society  : 

1810 — 1860."      Two     vols.,  illustrated.      London:     John     C. 
Nimmo.      1889. 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY    341 

little  about  the  Imperial  lady.  "  It  is  not,"  says  this 
very  sprightly  chronicler,  "  because  the  Empress  is 
the  wife  of  Napoleon  III.  that  she  sets  the  fashion 
even  to  those  who  do  not  go  to  court  and  who  turn 
up  their  noses  at  her  entourage."  [These  were  the 
Royalist  ladies  of  "  the  Faubourg,"  and  perhaps  a 
few  others  of  anti-Imperialistic  opinions.]  "  She 
is  considerably  older,  and  certainly  not  handsomer, 
than  was  the  Duchesse  de  Nemours  when  she  left 
France  to  die  in  exile,  but  she  has  the  chic  that  the 
Orleans  Princesses  did  not  possess,  and  the  quietest 
dowager,  before  she  ventures  to  adopt  a  coiffure,  as 
well  as  the  gayest  lady  of  the  demi-monde,  will  cast 
a  look  to  see  what  the  Empress  wears.  Strange 
to  say,  the  supreme  good  taste  and  elegance  which 
reign  in  her  Majesty's  toilettes  were  by  no  means 
conspicuous  in  her  younger  days,  for  as  Mile  de 
Montijo  she  was  voted  beautiful  and  charming,  but 
very  ill  dressed." 

There  are  still  among  us  in  London  two  ladies — 
there  may  possibly  be  more,  but  I  doubt  it — who  can 
recall  the  Empress  in  the  great  years  before  1870  :  one 
is  Mrs  Vaughan;  the  other,  Mrs  Ronalds.  The 
first-named  lady  has  enjoyed  the  intimate  friendship 
of  the  nonagenarian  widow  of  Napoleon  III.  for  at 
least  fifty  years,  as  had  her  sister,  the  late  Mme  de 
Arcos,  to  whom  reference  is  made  in  another  chapter. 
Mrs  Vaughan's  daughter  has  been  often  the  Em- 
press's guest  at  Farnborough  Hill,  has  accompanied 
her  Majesty  on  some  of  her  tours,  and  was  one  of 
the  few  English  ladies  present  at  M.  Pietri's  funeral. 
Miss  Vaughan,  when  at  Farnborough,  spends  much 
of  her  time  in  reading  to  her  hostess,  whose  eyesight, 
however,     is     still     exceptionally     good.       Princess 


342     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Napoleon  and  the  Comtesse  de  Mora  are  also  among 
the  Empress's  favourite  "  readers  "  in  19 16. 

M.  Augustin  Filon's  volume,  "  Le  Prince  Imperial," 
is  got  up  in  luxurious  style,  and  costs  twenty  francs. 
I  have  heard  that  the  Abbe  Misset  suggested,  that  it 
should  be  produced  in  a  much  more  sumptuous  form, 
but  that  the  Empress  objected  on  the  ground  of  expense. 
It  was  the  Abbe  who  rendered  the  Empress  invaluable 
service  by  investigating  what  was  known  as  "  The 
Romance  of  the  Prince  Imperial."  This  her  Majesty, 
in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  late  Monsignor  Goddard, 
and  now  in  my  possession,  denounced  as  "  a  lying 
story,"  and  the  Abbe  Misset  proved  it  to  be  so. 

Count  Paul  Vasili,  in  his  work,  "  France  from 
Behind  the  Veil  "  (Cassell,  1914),  sketches  the 
Empress  on  the  day  of  her  flight  from  the  Tuileries 
(Sunday,  September  4,  1870): 

When  I  first  saw  Eugenie,  her  whole  appearance  was  fairy- 
like ;  in  spite  of  her  forty  years,  she  eclipsed  all  other  women. 
Her  slight,  graceful  figure  was  almost  girlish  in  its  suppleness, 
and  she  is  the  only  woman  I  have  ever  seen  who,  though  in 
middle  life,  did  not  prompt  one  to  utter  the  usual  remark  when 
lovely  members  of  the  fair  sex  have  attained  her  age,  "  How 
beautiful  she  must  have  been  when  she  was  young." 

With  the  exception  of  the  Empress  Marie  Feodorovna  of 
Russia,  I  have  never  seen  anyone  bow  like  Eugenie,  with 
that  sweeping  movement  of  her  whole  body  and  head,  that 
seemed  to  be  addressed  to  each  person  present  in  particular, 
and  to  all  in  general.  On  that  particular  evening  she  was  a 
splendid  vision  in  evening  dress.  Her  white  shoulders  shone 
above  the  low  bodice  of  her  gown,  and  many  jewels  adorned 
her  beautiful  person. 

I  was  one  of  the  persons  who  visited  the  Tuileries  on  the 
evening  of  that  memorable  4th  of  September  which  saw  the 
fall  of  Napoleon  HI.'s  dynasty.  No  one  knew  at  that  moment 
what  had  happened  to  the   Empress,  nor  where  she  had  fled, 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     343 

and  rumours  were  going  about  in  some  quarters  that  she 
had  tried  to  join  the  Emperor,  and  in  others  that  she  had  directed 
her  steps  towards  Metz  with  the  intention  of  seeking  a 
refuge  with  the  army  of  Bazaine,  and  establishing  there  the 
seat  of  government. 

When  I  visited  the  palace  I  found  that  no  one  there  believed 
that  she  had  gone  away  for  ever ;  indeed — and  this  is  a  detail 
that  I  believe  has  never  been  recorded  elsewhere — I  found 
one  of  her  maids  preparing  her  bed  as  usual ! 

It  was  evident  that  the  flight  had  been  a  hurried  one.  In 
the  private  rooms  letters  never  meant  to  be  seen  by  a  stranger's 
eye  were  scattered  about ;  a  gold  locket  with  the  portrait  of 
a  lovely  woman,  the  Duchesse  d'Albe ;  another  one  with  that 
of  a  baby  in  long  robes,  the  first  picture  of  the  Prince  Imperial ; 
one  small  golden  crucifix ;  a  note  just  begun,  and  addressed 
no  one  knows  now  to  whom,  but  of  which  the  first  words  ran 
thus  :    "  Dans  la  terrible  position  oil  je  me  trouve,  je  ne " 

The  writing  stopped  there ;  evidently  she  who  had  started 
it  had  been  interrupted  by  the  bearer  of  some  evil  message, 
and  there  it  lay  forgotten,  in  the  midst  of  the  tragedy  which 
had  put  an  end  to  so  many  things  and  to  so  many  hopes. 


Lady  Bulwer  Lytton  had  a  deathless  grudge  against 
Queen  Victoria,  and  in  her  "  Unpublished  Letters 
to  A.  E.  Chalon,  R.A.,"  issued  by  Mr  Eveleigh  Nash 
in  19 1 4,  she  says  :  "  A  friend  of  mine  writes  me  word 
that  Prince  Albert  looked  quite  delighted  at  sitting 
beside  that  beautiful  Empress  (Eugenie)  instead  of 
his  own  dumpy,  idiotic-looking  Frau.  I  wrote  her 
back  word  no  doubt  he  was  delighted  at  this  change 
for  his  Sovereign." 

In  a  letter  to  the  "  Times,"  "  T.  H.  W."  wrote 
(1914) :  "In  your  interesting  article  on  the  Empress 
Eugenie  you  remark  that :  '  From  the  windows  of 
an  hotel  in  Paris  she  has  looked  out  upon  the  site  of 
the  Tuileries.'  A  few  years  ago  I  happened  to 
be   standing  at  those  very  windows  with  the   hotel 


344     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

manager,  and  he  described  the  Empress's  visit  some 
time  previously.  Her  lady-in-waiting,  he  said,  had 
remonstrated,  saying  that  she  wondered  that  her 
Majesty  could  bear  to  look  upon  that  dreadful  scene. 
'  Do  not  be  surprised,'  replied  the  Empress,  '  the 
woman  who  lived  there  is  dead.  I  am  a  different 
person.'  " 

The  Paris  papers  reported  in  July,  19 14,  shortly 
before  the  Empress's  return  to  England  on  the  i8th 
of  that  month,  when  the  first  faint  indications  of  the 
coming  European  war  became  apparent,  that  the 
Imperial  lady,  walking  in  the  Tuileries  Gardens  with 
a  friend,  plucked  a  Malmaison  rose.  One  of  the 
caretakers,  observing  this  enormity,  hastened  to  the 
side  of  the  venerable  lady,  and,  not  recognising 
her,  said :  "  It  is  forbidden  to  pick  flowers  here, 
madame.  I  shall  have  to  report  you.  What  is  your 
name?  "  "  Eugenie  "  was  her  faltering  reply. 
"  That's  no  name.  I  must  have  your  surname." 
Looking  at  the  fair  culprit  fixedly,  he  apparently 
remembered  seeing  her  portrait  in  the  papers,  and  said, 
in  a  more  amiable  tone  :  "  Well,  never  mind  this 
time,  madame,  but  don't  do  it  again." 

One  of  the  very  few  Englishmen  who  saw  Napoleon 
III.  on  his  way  from  Sedan  to  Wilhelmshohe  was 
the  late  Sir  Henry  Drummond  Wolff,  who  records  * 
that  at  Spa  railway  station  on  the  2nd  of  September, 
1870,  the  day  after  the  defeat  of  the  French  at 
Sedan,  he  read  in  the  "  Independance  Beige  "  a 
telegram  from  Bouillon  stating  that  there  had  been  a 
great  battle  and  that  the  French  were  victorious ! 
Bouillon,  a  small  Belgian  town,  was  for  the  moment, 
owing  to  its  proximity  to  Sedan,  "  almost  the  focus 
Some  Notes   of  the   Past."     London  :  Murray.     1893. 


*  «< 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     345 

of  European  interest."  Here  Sir  Henry  met  with 
the  long  Imperial  cortege  en  route  to  Verviers, 
where  the  Emperor  took  train  for  Wilhelmshohe 
on  Sunday,  September  4,  the  day  on  which  his 
consort  fled  from  the  Tuileries.  As  the  Emperor 
passed  through  Bouillon  it  was  seen  that  he  was 
escorted  to  the  frontier  by  a  detachment  of  those 
Prussian  hussars  who  wear  a  black  uniform  and  have 
on  their  busbies  a  death's  head  and  crossbones. 

First  in  the  procession  came  the  Emperor's  own 
carriage,  a  travelling  "  berlin  " ;  then  an  open  car- 
riage followed  by  two  or  three  other  vehicles, 
"  something  like  prison  vans,"  containing  members 
of  the  august  captive's  suite,  and  succeeded  by 
fourgons,  marked  "  Maison  Militaire  de  I'Empereur," 
and  a  number  of  horses  ridden  by  Imperial  liveried 
servants  in  scarlet  waistcoats  and  glazed  hats. 
The  horses,  magnificent  animals,  over  sixteen  hands, 
were  relays  for  the  carriages.  Following  these  were 
packs,  saddle  horses  and  "  chargers  beyond  price  "  : 
in  all  nearly  one  hundred ! 

Arrived  at  Bouillon  the  Emperor  entered  his  hotel 
and  presently  showed  himself  at  a  window.  "  There 
was  an  enormous  crowd,  well  dressed  and  enthusiastic. 
Superior  French  officers  walked  about,  among 
them  Prince  Achille  Murat,  in  the  dandy  dress  of 
the  chasseurs  d'Afrique.  I  heard  the  crowd  shout 
'  Vive  I'Empereur!  '  '  Dinner?  '  '  Impossible! 
The  Emperor  is  about  to  sit  down  with  twenty,  and 
afterwards  there  is  a  dinner  for  fifteen.'  The 
Emperor's  menu  is  known  to  the  crowd — an  omelette 
and  boeuf  pique."  From  Bouillon  his  Majesty  wrote 
to  the  Empress.  Continuing  his  journey  to  Ricogne 
Sir  Henry,  who  was,  I  remember,  very  Bonapartist 


346     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

in  feeling,  came  upon  a  detachment  of  Belgian 
artillery,  by  whom  the  Emperor  was  received. 
"  Napoleon  stopped  at  a  house  in  the  village  for 
breakfast,  and  some  of  the  servants  came  to  the 
cafe  where  I  was  breakfasting.  They  were  more 
communicative  than  any  I  had  met." 

"  At  2  P.M.  the  Emperor,  in  his  carriage,  drawn  by 
four  horses,  came  to  the  door  of  the  Verviers  railway 
station.  A  general  officer  was  with  him,  who  we 
were  told  was  General  Castelnau.  The  Emperor 
seemed  well.  His  features  showed  little  emotion. 
He  leaned  heavily  on  the  arm  of  the  servant  who  helped 
him  out  of  the  carriage,  but  walked  well.  He  wore 
a  red  kepi  embroidered  in  gold,  and  there  were 
decorations  on  his  uniform.  A  dispatch  was  given 
him,  and,  after  speaking  to  some  of  the  French 
Legation  and  the  Belgian  authorities,  he  sat  down 
and  wrote.  He  then  walked  on  the  platform  of  the 
station,  and  on  returning  to  the  waiting-room 
smoked  a  cigarette  and  read  the  '  Independance 
Beige.'  A  special  train  came  for  him,  and  he  went 
off  with  his  suite,  with  General  Chazal  (the  Belgian 
Commander-in-Chief),  General  von  Bezen  (a  Prussian 
officer),  and  Prince  von  Lynar  (also  a  Prussian)." 

On  the  loth  of  July,  19 14,  the  Empress  visited 
the  Chateau  of  Fontainebleau,  which  she  had  not 
seen  for  forty-four  years.  Accompanied  by  one  of 
her  nieces,  Comte  Joseph  Primoli,  and  Comte 
Walewsky,  her  Majesty  (said  the  "  Echo  de  Paris  ") 
presented  herself  at  the  gate  of  what  was  formerly 
one  of  the  Imperial  residences  and  gave  her  name 
to  the  brigadier,  who  went  to  inform  the  curator 
of  the  building  of  the  august  visit.  M.  d'Esparb^s, 
who  is  not  for  nothing  a  delicate  poet,  realised  to  the 


-w  S 


"^ 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     347 

full  the  tragic  pathos  of  the  circumstance.  Silent 
and  bareheaded  he  ascended  the  great  horseshoe 
staircase  with  the  Imperial  figure  in  deep  mourning 
at  his  side.  Not  a  word  was  said  on  either  side  till 
the  apartments  of  Louis  XIII.  were  reached.  Then 
the  Empress  suddenly  broke  the  memory-laden 
silence.  "  Ah !  there  is  my  box !  "  she  said, 
touching  lovingly  an  ivory  coffer.  "  But  the  legend 
of  the  Palace,"  said  M.  d'Esparbes  gently,  "  has 
it  that  this  coffer  belonged  to  Anne  of  Austria." 
"  True,  true,"  replied  the  Empress;  "  but  at  my 
marriage  the  Emperor  presented  it  to  me  with  a 
gift  of  gloves  and  fans." 

The  Empress  remarked  that  the  splendid  "Diana" 
of  Benvenuto  was  no  longer  in  its  place.  "  What 
has  become  of  it?  "  she  asked,  and  M.  d'Esparbes 
replied,  "  Alas !  it  is  now  in  the  Louvre."  "  I 
think  they  might  restore  it  to  its  earlier  setting," 
said  the  Empress  gently.  Looking  out  through 
an  open  window  on  the  gardens  in  the  full  glories  of 
the  summer,  "  How  beautiful  they  are !  "  she 
exclaimed,  as  if  to  herself.  At  another  window, 
commanding  the  Etang  des  Carpes,  she  stopped, 
and,  after  a  moment's  silence,  said,  "  My  gondola  is 
gone."  The  Empress  lingered  long  in  the  Chinese 
museum — her  own  work — tracing  the  history  of 
different  curios.  "  The  Emperor,"  she  said,  "  used 
to  make  me  every  year  a  present  of  Chinese  curios. 
My  presents  to  him  were  suits  of  armour."  Then 
she  left  the  chateau  for  the  gardens,  where  she  sat 
down  for  a  few  minutes  looking  out  over  the  Etang 
des  Carpes.  "  Not  that  I  am  tired,"  she  said,  "  but 
to  have  leisure  to  recollect."  Here  she  was  joined 
by    Mme    Gillois,    an   old    personal    friend    of    the 


348     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Empress,  and  one  of  the  reigning  beauties  of  the 
Court  of  Fontainebleau.  They  talked  for  a  few 
minutes  of  old  times.  As  Mme  Gillois  withdrew, 
the  Empress  turned  to  M.  d'Esparbes  and  said, 
"  Dear  Madame  Gillois !  She  brings  back  the  past. 
She  was  then  slim  and  graceful,  with  a  waist  that  two 
hands  could  span."  A  few  children  and  women, 
who  had  heard  of  the  Imperial  visit,  gathered  at  the 
palace  gates.  As  the  Empress  passed  she  caressed 
with  her  hand  the  forehead  of  a  boy,  and,  for  the 
first  time  during  this  pilgrimage  of  memory,  her  eyes 
filled.  Then,  alert,  showing  no  signs  of  fatigue, 
though  for  three  hours  she  had  walked  among  the 
shadows  of  the  past,  she  got  into  her  car. 

Mr    Filson    Young    wrote    in    the    "  Pall     Mall 
Gazette"  (July  14,  19 14): 

Nothing-  could  be  more  ghostly  and  pathetic  than  the  visit 
of  the  aged  Empress  Eugenie  to  the  palace  of  Fontainebleau 
a  few  days  ago. 

The  very  spirits  that  haunt  its  chambers  might  have  been 
startled  by  the  apparition  of  one  who  went  there  in  the  full 
splendour  of  her  youth  and  beauty  as  the  bride  of  Napoleon  III., 
and  who  thus  crept  back,  an  ancient,  shrunken,  exiled 
woman,  to  take  a  solemn  farewell  of  scenes  from  which  every 
actor  but  she  has  long  departed  to  the  shades.  What  a 
world  of  melancholy  there  was  in  the  little  dialogue  that 
has  been  reported:  "That  is  my  casket."  "Madame,  it 
is  known  as  the  casket  of  Anne  of  Austria."  "That  may 
be,  but  it  was  given  to  me,  filled  with  gloves  and  fans,  by 
the  Emperor  for  my  marriage."  Lost  youth,  lost  beauty, 
lost  glory,  a  lost  empire  cry  to  us  in  that  little  sentence. 
One  can  only  hope  that  if  there  be  a  compensation  for  an 
old  age  that  has  outlived  every  contemporary  thing  it  lies  in 
a  power  to  bridge  the  gap  of  years,  and  still  to  hear  and  see 
what  to  all  other  ears  and  eyes  has  fallen  silent  and  invisible ; 
and  that  the  Empress  may  have  heard  not  the  voice  of  the 
curator,    but    the    music    and  murmurs  of  the    ball-room,    and 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     349 

seen  not  the  empty  chambers  of  a  museum,  but  the  lights  and 
the  flowers,  and  the  living  and  fleeting  beauty  and  pageantry, 
that  were  Fontainebleau  in  the  days  when  the  casket  was 
filled  with  gloves  and  fans. 

The  London  daily  papers  took  exceptional  notice 
of  the  Imperial  lady's  excursion,  and  the  "  Daily 
Telegraph  "  and  the  "  Times  "  devoted  leading 
articles  to  it.  In  the  "Telegraph"  we  read  (July  14, 
1914): 

Of  what  is  she  thinking,  this  lone,  bereaved,  fate-driven 
figure,  as  she  enters  the  Chateau  of  Fontainebleau,  ascends 
the  great  horseshoe  staircase,  and  visits  room  after  room 
consecrated  in  her  mind  by  wonderful  associations?  She  has 
a  keen  and  vivid  memory,  it  is  clear.  She  recognises 
the  ivory  box  which  originally  belonged  to  Anne  of  Austria, 
and  which  was  presented  to  her  by  the  Emperor  on  her 
marriage.  She  notices  the  absence  of  the  "Diana"  of 
Benvenuto,  now  removed  to  the  Louvre.  She  can  tell  the 
curator  how  her  husband  used  to  give  her  every  year  Chinese 
curios,  and  how  her  gifts  to  him  consisted  of  suits  of  armour. 
And  looking  out  on  the  Carp  Pond  she  can  mark  with  a  sigh 
of  regret  that  her  gondola  no  longer  floats  on  the  water. 
So  might  the  wraith  of  Marie  Antoinette  revisit  the  glimpses 
of  the  moon  at  Trianon  and  St  Cloud,  and  note  how  many 
of  her  treasures  had  disappeared ;  or  Henrietta  Maria  pass 
like  a  ghost  along  Whitehall  and  observe  the  many  changes 
which  have  now  transformed  the  cruel  scene  of  King  Charles's 
martyrdom.  Eugdnie  de  Montijo  had  her  splendid  hour,  like 
so  many  of  the  tragic  heroines  of  history  ;  and  if  there  is  a 
sense  of  tears  in  human  things  she  will  retain  all  men's  pity 
and  sympathy  in  the  august  loneliness  of  her  doom.  All, 
all  are  gone,  the  old  familiar  faces — the  courtiers  who  did 
obeisance  to  her,  the  friends  who  flattered  her  in  the  giddy 
eminence  of  her  power,  the  senators  and  statesmen  who 
listened  with  respect  to  her  imperious  counsels,  the  Emperor 
himself  who  was  guided — not  wisely,  but  too  well — by  her 
judgment.  It  is  pleasant  to  recall  in  the  latter  days  of  her 
misery   a    confident   prediction    which   Napoleon    uttered    more 


350     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

than  half  a  century  ag-o  :  "  Endowed  with  all  the  qualities 
of  the  soul,  she  will  be  the  ornament  of  the  Throne,  and  in 
the  time  of  danger  she  will  become  one  of  its  most  courageous 
supports."  Did  not  the  prophecy  come  true?  She  was, 
as  all  men  will  testify,  the  very  heart  and  soul  of  the  Second 
Empire,  and  when  the  Imperial  fortunes  fell  in  black  ruin 
her  enemies  were  forced  to  declare  that  she,  almost  alone, 
faced  the  menacing  tide  of  revolution  with  superb  calmness 
and  courage.  The  Empress  Eugenie  had  a  magnificent  career, 
however  we  choose  to  regard  it,  and  whatever  criticism 
we  venture  to  pass  on  its  meaning  and  value.  She  was 
once  the  Egeria  of  an  Emperor,  who,  in  Bismarck's  phrase, 
indubitably  occupied  the  Chair  of  Europe.  Now  she  remains 
Niobe,  all  tears — a  woman,  who,  like  Constance,  might  say  : 
"Here  I  and  Sorrow  sit.  This  is  my  throne;  bid  kings 
come  worship  it."  If  she  loves  to  solace  her  loneliness  with 
imperishable  memories,  either  at  Fontainebleau  or  on  the 
site  of  the  ruined  Tuileries,  what  man  who  has  read  the 
wonderful  story  of  her  rise  and  fall  will  be  so  churlish  as  to 
say  her  nay? 

The  "  Times,"  of  the  same  date,  said  felicitously  : 

It  is  now  forty-three  years  since  foreign  invasion  and 
domestic  revolt  pulled  her  down  from  what  had  been  the  most 
brilliant  throne  in  Europe,  amid  what  defections  and  what 
treasons  none  knows  but  herself.  In  all  that  time,  under 
untold  provocations,  she  has  uttered  no  word  of  recrimination 
or  of  reproof.  She  has  published  none,  from  the  store  of 
documents  she  is  known  to  possess,  for  the  refutation  of  the 
calumnies  by  which  she  and  hers  have  been  assailed,  or  for 
the  confusion  of  the  traducers  who  rose  by  Imperial  favour, 
only  to  secure  their  position  by  turning  against  the  Empire. 
The  Empress  has  suffered  as  few  women  have  suffered.  She 
has  buried  her  sufferings  in  her  own  heart  with  magnanimous 
silence. 

They  are  ever  there,  those  memories  of  the  past.  To  that 
all  who  are  privileged  to  know  her  bear  witness.  They 
betray  themselves  at  times  suddenly,  unwittingly,  by  a 
gesture,  by  a  look,  by  a  chance  word.  But  her  firm  will  and 
her    deep    sense    of    resignation    have    given    her    so    sure    a 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     351 

command  over  them  that  she  has  no  fear  lest  any  material 
associations  should  revive  them  too  acutely.  She  does  not 
shrink  from  the  recollection  of  the  greatness  and  of  the 
happiness  that  are  gone.  She  has  attained  a  tranquillity  which 
nothing  can  shake,  and  she  can  look  back  upon  the  past 
without  anguish  as  without  bitterness.  At  Fontainebleau  she 
was  shown  a  casket  which  her  husband  gave  her  on  her 
marriage,  filled  with  gloves  and  fans.  At  St  Cloud  she 
once  noticed  how  a  young  tree  had  thrust  its  way  through 
a  slab  of  marble  amongst  the  ruins.  She  drew  near  to  look 
at  it,  and  she  recognised  in  the  marble  the  chimney-piece 
of  one  of  the  salons  where  all  that  was  brilliant  and  illustrious 
in  France  had  gathered  about  her  a  few  years  before.  There 
are  noble  hearts  which  would  break  under  that  strain,  but 
the  heart  is  nobler  yet  that  can  endure  it  for  the  sake  of  the 
sacred  past.  At  Fontainebleau,  in  all  its  early  summer  glories, 
her  recollections  may  have  been  less  cruel  than  elsewhere. 
There,  indeed,  the  King  of  Prussia  was  her  guest  three  years 
before  he  provoked  the  war  which  drove  her  into  exile.  But 
there,  where  the  legends  and  the  traditions  of  so  many  kings 
crowd  thickly,  and  where  the  memory  of  the  great  Emperor 
dominates  them  all,  she  passed  some  of  the  gayest  and  the 
brightest  hours  of  her  rei^n.  As  she  gazed  on  those  once 
familiar  halls  where  grave  statesmen  and  brilliant  soldiers  were 
proud  to  do  her  homage,  in  the  flower  of  her  beauty  and  of 
her  greatness,  they  may  well  have  "  brought  back  with  them 
the  memory  of  glad  days,  while  many  loved  shades  rose 
around."  That,  too,  is  happiness — to  the  minds  attuned  to 
it,  as  is  hers. 

The  Paris  correspondent  of  the  "  Evening 
Standard  "  (July  30,  19 14),  writing  less  than  a 
fortnight  after  the  Empress's  departure  from  France 
for  Farnborough,  noted  a  propos  of  the  Malmaison  : 

The  curator  of  that  charming  little  chateau  and  park  that 
are  sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Napoleonic  dynasty  has  had 
a  serious  shock.  The  Empress  Eugenie  is  building  there 
in  the  pleasant  garden  a  monument  to  her  son,  the  Prince 
Imperial,    and    the    work    was    advancing    rapidly,    the    roof 


352     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

having  been  put  in  place  a  few  days  ago.  Now  the  authorities 
have  discovered  that  thieves  have  carried  most  of  it  off 
bodily.  Being  in  lead,  it  weighed  two  thousand  pounds. 
It  was  not  difficult  to  trace,  however,  and  the  thieves  and 
the  purchaser  of  the  stolen  lead  are  all  safely  lodged  in 
Versailles  prison.  The  mausoleum  of  the  young  Prince  is  at 
the  moment  practically  the  only  memorial  at  Malmaison  of 
the  passing  of  the  Third  Napoleon.  The  chateau  is  more 
especially  becoming  a  centre  for  relics  and  souvenirs  of  Jose- 
phine, whose  tomb  is  in  the  neighbouring  church  of  Rueil, 
and  whose  last  residence  it  was.  The  chateau  is  unpre- 
tending, and  far  from  vast  :  the  park  has  been  greatly  reduced 
from  its  original  dimensions,  but  retains  much  of  its  charm, 
with  its  smooth  lawns,  its  tiny  trickling  stream  and  its  few 
but  graceful  trees.  In  the  past  month  the  motor  car  of  the 
aged  Empress  has  been  often  at  the  Malmaison  gate,  where 
she  is  superintending  the  decoration  of  the  mausoleum. 

An  ingenious  writer  interested  the  readers  of  one 
of  the  Paris  papers  by  picturing  the  Prince  Imperial 
as  he  might  have  been  had  he  lived  until  now. 
In  March,  1916,  he  would  have  been  sixty.  "  His 
hair  has  become  grey.  In  the  middle  of  his  forehead 
only  a  deep  furrow  would  have  betrayed  the  anguish 
of  a  soul  which  has  suffered.  Since  the  Terrible 
Year  the  Prince  has  reflected  much  and  worked 
much.  On  the  death  of  his  father  he  became  the 
worthy  heir  of  the  Napoleons.  He  has  an  ardent 
taste  for  military  history.  He  knows  by  heart  all  the 
achievements  of  the  great  generals  of  ancient  and 
modern  times.  He  is  a  fine  rider  and  an  excellent 
shot.  In  Scotland  he  has  shown  his  prowess  with 
the  gun  in  the  grouse  battues.  The  English  think 
highly  of  him  as  a  sportsman.  He  has  travelled 
a  great  deal,  visited  the  Indies  five  times  and  has 
twice  made  the  tour  of  the  world.  During  his  travels 
he  has  often  met  his  companion  in  exile,  the   Due 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY    353 

d'Orleans.  They  spoke  de  bonne  amitie,  but  chiefly 
of  sport.  In  London,  where  he  resides,  often  going 
to  see  his  mother  at  Farnborough  Hill,  he  is  greatly 
appreciated  and  beloved.  The  British  soul,  so 
antagonistic  to  Napoleon  the  Great,  is  sympathetic 
to  one  whom  many  still  call  the  '  Little  Prince.' 
But  the  son  of  Napoleon  III.  is  melancholy,  and 
compares  his  destiny  to  that  of  his  cousin,  the  Due  de 
Reichstadt  [son  of  Napoleon  I.].  The  analogies 
between  the  two  are  indeed  striking.  Both  left 
France,  when  quite  young,  for  a  foreign  country. 
The  Due  de  Reichstadt  had  at  least  the  consolation 
of  dying  young.  To-night  the  Prince  is  particularly 
sad.  To  kill  time  he  spends  the  evening  at  Green- 
wich with  some  friends;  they  dine  in  the  open  air, 
and  the  Petit  Prince,  while  smoking  a  cigar,  looks  up 
at  the  stars,  and  regrets  that  he  did  not  die  in 
Zululand.  To  rouse  him  from  his  melancholy  his 
friends  urge  him  to  forget  the  sad  past  and  the 
uncertainty  of  the  present,  and  to  think  only  of  the 
future.  Never,  they  tell  him,  have  his  chances  of 
ascending  the  throne  been  so  great.  France  is  ready 
to  welcome  Napoleon  IV.  The  Petit  Prince  bends 
his  head.  He  still  remembers  Ossuld's  sonnet,  and  is 
tired  of  '  always  hoping.'  " 

The  late  Sir  Charles  Dilke,  whose  avowed 
republicanism  in  the  late  sixties  and  the  early  seventies 
provoked  the  ridicule  of  all  but  a  very  few  English- 
men, wrote  :  "  1870  was  a  year  which  will  never 
be.  forgotten  by  those  of  my  time — the  year  which 
saw  the  downfall  of  the  most  magnificent  imposture 
of  any  age,  the  Second  Empire."  At  Lille,  early  in 
1 87 1,  when  the  Franco- Prussian  war  was  still  raging, 
Dilke   noted  :     "  I   heard   Gambetta  make  his  great 


354     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

speech.  It  was  the  finest  oratorical  display  to  which 
I  ever  listened,  though  I  have  heard  Castelar  [the 
celebrated  Spanish  republican  statesman],  Bright, 
Gladstone,  Gathorne  Hardy  and  Father  Felix  often 
at  their  very  best."  Some  three  years  later,  as 
we  learnt  only  at  the  end  of  December,  19 15, 
we  find  Gambetta  writing,  in  a  letter  to  M.  Ranc, 
an  ardent  anti-Bonapartist :  "  I  discern  in  the  Prince 
of  Wales  the  makings  of  a  great  statesman.  With 
all  his  young  authority  he  opposes  the  enforcement 
of  measures  which  might  be  prejudicial  to  Russia." 
These  words  were  reproduced  by  all  the  London 
papers  on  the  day  following  their  appearance  in 
the  "  Matin,"  and  must  have  been  read  with  surprise 
by  the  Empress  Eugenie,  who  perhaps  remembered 
that  speech  made  in  the  Chamber  by  Gambetta 
in  which  he  spoke  of  "  the  clerical  fanaticism  which 
animated  the  Spanish  woman  who  had  been  made 
the  Empress  of  the  French." 

Long  before  M.  Pietri's  death  the  Empress's  right- 
hand  man  was  the  Comte  de  Mora,  whose  wife 
was  born  a  De  Lesseps,  a  celebrated  family  with 
which  the  Empress,  through  her  mother,  is  connected. 
The  Count  is  not  only  a  capable  man  of  affairs, 
but  of  considerable  scientific  knowledge,  so  that 
the  Empress  confided  to  him  the  work  of  installing 
the  electric  light,  which  is  generated  in  the  grounds 
of  the  residence. 

In  this  work,  and  in  all  that  I  have  written  about 
Napoleon  III.,  the  Empress,  and  the  Prince  Imperial, 
the  object  has  been  to  group  all  facts  and  records  of 
events  gathered  since  1870.  The  passages  on  the 
next  three  pages  are  from  my  diaries,  aided  by  my 
recollection  of  the  events. 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     355 

Chislehurst — Farnborough,  January  9,  1888. 

To-day  I  witnessed  another  act  of  the  Imperial 
tragedy — the  removal  of  the  bodies  of  Napoleon 
III.  and  the  Prince  Imperial  from  Chislehurst  to 
Farnborough.  The  Emperor's  coffin  had  been  placed 
in  St  Mary's  Church  in  January,  1873 — the  Prince's 
on  July  12,  1879.  I  was  present  at  both  funerals,  and 
described  them  in  the  "  Morning  Post." 

At  eight  o'clock  this  morning  Monsignor  Goddard 
said  a  low  Mass  for  the  repose  of  the  soul  of 
the  Emperor,  for  to-day  was  the  anniversary  of 
his  death  fifteen  years  ago.  Only  two  or  three 
persons  attended  the  service — members  of  the  con- 
gregation. The  little  church  was  closed  until  nine 
o'clock,  when  preparations  began  for  the  transference 
of  the  remains  to  the  artillery  waggons  (from 
Woolwich)  which  were  to  convey  them  to  the 
railway  station,  and  from  thence  in  a  special  train  to 
the  Imperial  Mausoleum  in  the  church  at  Farn- 
borough erected  by  the  Empress.  The  red  granite 
sarcophagus  which  Queen  Victoria  had  presented 
to  the  Empress  had  been  taken  to  Farnborough, 
and  the  remains  of  the  Emperor,  contained  in  three 
coffins,  placed  alongside  those  of  the  Prince. 
While  the  preparations  for  the  removal  of  the 
coffins  were  being  made  by  Mr  Garstin  (of  the  firm 
of  W.  Garstin  &  Sons,  Welbeck  Street,  London), 
M.  Pietri  arrived,  accompanied  by  the  Marquis  de 
Bassano,  whose  father,  the  venerable  Duke,  was 
unable  to  be  present. 

Earlier  in  the  day  Monsignor  Goddard,  M.  Pietri 
and  the  Marquis  had  drawn  up  a  proces  verbal 
setting    forth    the    facts    of    the    reception    of    the 


356     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

bodies  at  St  Mary's  and  their  removal  for  trans- 
ference to  Farnborough.  The  Emperor's  outer 
coffin,  of  well-seasoned  oak,  had  not  suffered  from 
damp,  as  the  inner  ones  had,  but  its  velvet  covering 
had  partially  rotted  and  its  brass  "  furniture  "  was 
seen  to  be  covered  with  verdigris.  The  breast- 
plate was  uncorroded,  but  the  brass  cross  at  its 
foot  had  turned  green.  The  Prince's  coffin  had 
a  covering  of  violet  velvet,  which  was  unspotted, 
as  were  the  breastplate  and  the  fittings.  A  black 
pall  now  covered  the  Emperor's  coffin.  M.  Pietri 
laid  a  wreath,  sent  by  the  Empress,  on  each  coffin  : 
that  for  the  Emperor  was  of  rosebuds  and  violets — 
that  for  the  Prince  was  all  white.  At  the  last 
moment  a  lady  sent  two  bouquets  of  violets,  one 
for  each  coffin. 

At  10.30  a  battery  of  the  Royal  Horse  Artillery 
arrived  from  Woolwich — two  guns  and  forty  men, 
under  Lieutenant  Wing.  Preceding  the  coffins  was 
Monsignor  Goddard,  in  white  surplice  and  cotta, 
reading  the  Burial  Service.  Each  coffin  was  carried 
by  ten  artillerymen,  and  each  was  covered  by  a 
tricoloured  flag,  on  which  were  placed  the  flowers 
and  (on  the  Prince's)  the  riband  and  order  of  the 
Legion  d'Honneur.  The  Marquis  de  Bassano  and 
M.  Pietri  followed,  together  with  a  few  French 
gentlemen,  three  sisters  from  the  Holy  Trinity, 
Bromley,  and  artillerymen.  The  coffins  were  placed 
on  the  gun  carriages,  and  two  photographers  took 
views  from  an  adjacent  field,  much  to  the  indignation 
of  the  priest,  but  doubtless  to  the  satisfaction  of 
the  public  generally,  who  by  this  time  had  gathered 
in  their  thousands,  despite  the  fog  and  the  muddy 
roads.       Monsignor      Goddard,     the     Marquis     de 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     357 

Bassano  and  M.  Pietri  drove  to  the  station,  access  to 
which  was  barred.  The  English  and  French 
reporters  (including  M.  Johnson,  of  the  "  Figaro," 
and  M.  Leon  Jolivard,  of  the  "  Gaulois  ")  were 
admitted,  and  journeyed  to  Farnborough  by  the 
"  special." 

The  coffins  were  placed  in  a  baggage  waggon, 
which  the  undertakers  had  arranged  and  decorated. 
Its  walls  were  draped  in  black,  spangled  with  silver 
stars,  and  displayed  the  Imperial  crown  and  mono- 
gram. At  one  end  was  a  large  ivory  crucifix,  with 
a  background  of  black  velvet,  in  which  was 
woven  a  Latin  cross  in  white  silk.  The  waggon 
was  canopied  with  black  drapery.  Candles  in  silver 
sconces  were  lighted,  and  the  waggon  became  a 
chapelle  ardente,  with  the  Monsignor  as  its  only 
living  occupant.  In  the  Prince's  coffin  (the  priest 
told  me)  was  the  scapulaire  found  on  him  when 
his'  mangled  body  was  discovered;  this  was  now 
in  a  cardboard  box. 

Arrived  at  Farnborough,  the  coffins  were  taken 
to  St  Michael's  in  the  presence  of  a  crowd  of 
distinguished  personages  and  placed  in  the  Imperial 
Mausoleum.  Monsignor  Goddard's  guardianship  of 
the  remains  had  ended. 

I  should  have  written  more  fully  of  this  pathetic 
spectacle  had  space  permitted.  I  have  been  able, 
however,  to  give  the  main  facts  in  outline,  and  will 
now  proceed  with  my  chronicle,  which  future  his- 
torians should  find  serviceable. 

The  Empress's  pedigree  is  given  in  a  very 
complete  form  in  another  chapter.  Her  English 
friends  will  now  learn  with  agreeable  surprise  that 
there    is    a    tie    of    kinship    between    the    Imperial 


358     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

lady's  family  and  that  of  one  of  the  most  gifted  and 
popular  of  English  contemporary  writers,  "  Dagonet," 
of  that  widely  read  journal  the  "  Referee."  In 
"  My  Life  :  Sixty  Years'  Recollections  of  Bohemian 
London,"  *  Mr  Geo.  R.  Sims  says  : 

My  great-grandfather,  Robert  Sims,  was  a  sturdy,  handsome 
and  well-to-do  Berkshire  yeoman.  To  the  Berkshire  town 
into  which  he  rode  regularly  on  market  days  there  came  a 
Spanish  grandee,  Count  Jos^  de  Montijo,  who  was  of  the 
family  which  gave  us  the  Empress  Eugenie.  He  had  left 
Spain  as  a  political  refugee,  and  his  daughter,  the  Countess 
Elizabeth  de  Montijo,  had  come  with  him. 

My  great-grandfather  fell  in  love  with  the  beautiful 
Spanish  girl  and  married  her.  She  was  quite  a  young  girl 
when  she  became  his  wife,  but  she  "  lived  happily  ever 
afterwards  "  and  died  a  dear  old  English  lady  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five. 

It  was  yet  another  surprise  to  find  this  curiously 
interesting  item  concerning  the  Empress  in  the 
"  Daily  Citizen  "  (March  17,  19 13),  which  received  it 
from  its  Panama  correspondent : 

In  connection  with  the  opening  of  the  New  Hotel  Washing- 
ton, on  the  beach  of  Colon — one  of  the  outward  signs 
of  the  new  prosperity  which  is  rapidly  coming  to  the  Panama 
Canal  region — an  appropriate  site  will  be  found  at  last  for 
the  famous  bronze  statue  of  Christopher  Columbus,  in 
the  attitude  of  protecting  an  Indian  maiden  who  is  crouching 
by  his  side.  This  statue  has  had  a  strange  career,  and 
almost  as  many  adventures  and  as  much  neglect  as  the 
great  navigator  himself.  It  was  cast  at  Turin  for  the 
Empress  Eugenie,  while  she  was  still  in  power  at  the  Palace 
of  Versailles.  By  her  it  was  presented  to  the  Republic  of 
Colombia  in  1868,  to  be  erected  at  Colon,  but  the  recipients 
appreciated   the   gift  so   little  that  for   two  years   it   was   left 

*"  Evening  News,"  January  17,   1916. 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     359 

unpacked  on  the  wharf.  An  occasion  of  jollification  came 
along,  and  the  statue  was  temporarily  set  up,  only,  however, 
to  be  forgotten  again  for  another  nine  years.  Then  it  was 
sent  to  Cristobal,  whence  it  is  now  to  be  brought,  forty-five 
years  behind  time,  to  its  original  destination — Colon. 

Aided  by  the  late  M.  Pietri  I  exposed  in  the 
"  Observer,"  in  19 10,  the  forgery  of  the  so-called 
"  Memoirs  "  of  the  Empress,  and  subsequently 
gave  a  fuller  account  of  the  fraud  in  my  first  volume 
on  the  Imperial  Family.  I  recently  found  that 
the  matter  had  been  referred  to  by  the  London 
correspondent  of  the  "  New  York  American  " 
(February  6,  19 10),  whose  comments  will  doubtless 
amuse  as  well  as  interest  those  of  my  new  readers 
who  may  perhaps  never  have  heard  of  the  literary 
atrocity  perpetrated  in  Paris  six  years  ago.  The 
correspondent  of  Mr  Hearst's  well-known  journal 
headed  his  narrative  with  these  piquant  lines : 
"  Eugenie  threatens  to  sue  Publisher. — Ex-Empress 
of  France  declares  Someone  has  stolen  Notes  of 
Autobiography,"  and  continued  : 

The  London  High  Courts  are  likely  to  be  occupied  in  the 
near  future  with  a  most  interesting  case.  A  short  time  ago 
paragraphs  began  to  appear  in  the  literary  papers  announcing 
that  the  eighty-year-old  ex-Empress  Eugenie  had  completed 
an  autobiography  which  would  appear  as  soon  as  the  question 
of  a  publisher  had  been  settled. 

An  autobiography  from  the  ex- Empress  should  be  one  of 
the  most  interesting  volumes  ever  penned  by  woman,  for 
she  was  a  young  and  fascinating  woman  when  France  was 
at  its  gayest ;  she  saw  the  tragedy  of  the  Third  Revolution 
from  its  inception  to  its  end,  and  she  knows  more  of  France's 
part  in  the  disastrous  war  with  Germany  than  any  living 
soul.  There  are  some  historians  who  do  not  hesitate  to  call 
it  "  Eugenie's  War," 


36o     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

A  small  army  of  publishers  hastened  to  Farnborough,  where 
the  ex-Queen  lives  in  semi-regal  state,  in  the  endeavour  to 
obtain  the  publicity  rights,  only  to  be  told  that  Eugenie  had 
written  no  memoirs  beyond  a  few  notes  which  do  not  extend 
beyond  the  four  sheets  of  note-paper. 

In  a  few  days  the  announcement  of  a  forthcoming  book 
was  repeated,  and  although  the  publisher  is  at  present  a 
mystery,  it  is  said  authoritatively  that  the  volume  will  appear 
in  the  spring. 

Now  Eugenie  in  a  passion  of  indignation  declares  that 
someone  has  had  felonious  access  to  her  notes,  and  that 
as  the  book  is  unauthorised  it  must  necessarily  be  full  of 
inaccuracies.  She  declares  that  as  soon  as  the  publisher  comes 
into  the  open  she  will  apply  for  an  injunction  to  restrain 
publication,  so  there  is  the  promise  of  interesting  happenings 
in  the  very  near  future. 

I  may  explain  that  the  Empress  and  M.  Pietri  did 
not  take  any  proceedings  against  the  concocters  of 
the  "  Memoirs,"  being  quite  satisfied  with  the 
Press  exposure  of  the  fraud.  The  intention  of  those 
responsible  for  the  printing  of  the  "  bogus  "  work 
was  to  issue  it  only  "  if  anything  happened  "  to 
the  Imperial  lady.  Nothing  has  "  happened  "  since 
19 lo,  and  we  may  all  hope  that  nothing  will 
"  happen  "  to  her  for  many  years  to  come.  I  do 
not  for  a  moment  think  that  the  tens  of  thousands 
of  copies  of  the  book  which,  as  M.  Pietri  knew,  were 
printed,  presumably  in  or  about  1909,  perhaps  even 
before,  have  been  destroyed.  I  assume  that  they 
remain  "  somewhere  in  France,"  probably  in  Paris. 

The  Hayward's  Heath  correspondent  of  the 
"  Evening  News  "  recorded  on  January  9,  19 13 
(the  anniversary  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon's  death  at 
Chislehurst  in  1873) : 

A  link  with  the  ill-fated  Prince  Imperial  has  been  broken 
by    the    death    at    Ditchling,    Sussex,    of    ex-Farrier-Sergeant 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     361 

Muddle.  The  old  soldier,  who  enlisted  in  the  i6th  Lancers 
in  1864,  took  part  in  the  famous  charge  at  the  Battle  of 
Ulundi,  and  was  one  of  those  who  helped  to  carry  the 
Prince's  body  into  camp  when  it  was  found  after  a  difficult 
search.  Muddle  had  a  service  record  of  twenty-eight  years, 
twenty-three  of  which  he  spent  abroad.  One  of  his  feet  had 
been  amputated  as  a  result  of  an  accident  while  he  was  in 
the  army,  and  he  had  recently  lost  the  use  of  the  other. 

One  of  the  most  devoted  friends  of  the  Imperial 
Family  during  the  Chislehurst  days  was  the  late 
Lord  Sydney,  best  remembered  as  Lord  Chamberlain 
for  many  years  in  Queen  Victoria's  reign.  He 
took  to  Camden  Place  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of 
the  Prince  Imperial,  and  later  he  was  given  by 
the  Empress,  in  memory  of  her  beloved  son,  the 
three-quarter  portrait  of  Mme  le  Brun,  painted 
by  the  artist  herself  in  1782.  At  the  sale  in  June, 
191 5,  of  what  was  known  as  the  "  Sydney  collection  " 
of  art  valuables,  this  picture  was  purchased  for 
;^6930  by  Mr  George  A.  Kessler,  the  New  York 
champagne  merchant,  one  of  the  survivors  of  the 
Lusitania,  which,  on  May  7,  191 5,  was  destroyed, 
as  is  now  well  known,  with  the  Kaiser's  full  know- 
ledge; yet,  after  diplomatic  "  negotiations  "  between 
the  Governments  of  the  United  States  and  Germany 
lasting  until  February,  19 16,  the  former  could  not 
induce  the  latter  to  admit  that  its  monstrous  crime  was 
an  "  illegal  "  one ! 

The  late  Mrs  Crawford,  whose  sprightly  "  Notes 
from  Paris  "  had  enlivened  "  Truth  "  from  its 
first  number  until  the  end  of  191 5,  frequently  had 
something  original  and  piquant  to  say  of  the 
Napoleonic     regime     and     of     the     Empress.       A 


362     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

collection  of  her  articles  on  these  subjects  would 
fill  a  volume.  The  "  Notes  "  of  this  gifted  woman 
were  always  characterised  by  a  knowledge  peculiar  to 
herself  and  gave  her  readers  food  for  reflection. 
As  a  chroniqueuse  she  was  unrivalled.  In  "  Truth  " 
of  December  17,  1913,  she  wrote: 

De  Lesseps,  following  the  example  of  his  Imperial  cousin-in- 
law,  issued  his  Suez  Canal  scrip  direct  to  the  public.  The 
Empress  took  the  scheme  up  with  ardour.  Count  Walewski, 
at  a  critical  period  of  the  undertaking-,  thought  well  to 
yield  to  Palmerston's  opposition.  One  forenoon,  as  he 
awaited  an  audience  of  the  Emperor,  the  Empress  flung 
into  the  room,  and,  looking  him  furiously  in  his  eyes,  cried 
out  :  "I  hear  you  want  to  humble  us  to  Palmerston  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Suez  Canal.  I  tell  you  what — if  you  leave 
my  cousin  (Lesseps)  in  the  lurch,  by  God  I  will  stab  you  in 
the  heart."  These  words  were  repeated  to  me  twenty  years 
later  by  De  Lesseps  himself.  This  masterful  attitude  of 
the  Empress  throws  light  on  the  Court  intrigues  of  July, 
1870,  which  brought  about  the  disastrous  war  with  Germany. 
Walewski  was  cowed.  On  seeing  the  Emperor  he  toned 
down  the  remarks  he  had  prepared.  .  .  .  The  issue  of  Suez 
shares  brought  all  the  wage-earning  folk  of  Paris  to  the 
company's  offices. 

The  Manchester  "  Sunday  Chronicle,"  like  many 
other  leading  provincial  papers,  furnishes  its  wide 
circle  of  readers  with  much  matter  relating  to  the 
Empress.  This  paragraph  appeared  on  September 
29,  1912  : 

The  very  name  of  the  Empress  Eugenie  always  seems  to 
bring  before  the  mind  a  story  of  romance  and  tragedy. 
The  older  generation  still  remembers  her  in  her  youthful 
beauty,  when  her  extravagance  of  dress  and  her  rather  flighty 
ways  made  her  the  talk  of  all  the  Courts ;  and  then  came 
blow  after  blow  on  this  frail  woman — the  fall  of  the   Empire, 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     363 

exile,  and  last,  and  heaviest,  the  death  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
in  the  Zulu  War,  She  seems  so  much  a  figure  out  of  a  past 
time  that  we  wonder  when  we  hear  of  her  as  still  taking-  part 
in  things  mundane. 

But  that  something  remains  of  the  spirit  of  the  dainty 
beauty  of  Empire  days  is  seen  in  the  story  which  is  being 
told  in  royalist  circles  in  Paris.  The  Empress  Eugdnie  on 
her  last  visit  asked  an  old  friend  to  bring  to  her  salon  some 
of  her  most  chic  young  friends  dressed  in  their  very  latest 
furbelows.  When  they  paraded  in  front  of  her  she  expressed 
herself  as  enchanted  with  the  grace  and  elegance  of  the 
fashions  of  to-day,  and  said  that  if  the  dressmakers  of  her 
time  had  been  able  to  produce  such  works  of  art  what  a 
brilliant  France  she  would  have  made  of  it.  But  suddenly 
came  another  thought  to  the  ex-Queen,  and  she  asked  what 
might  be  the  cost  of  these  triumphs.  When  told  the  price, 
she  was  horrified,  and  said  she  had  never  paid  more  than 
twenty-four  pounds  for  a  frock,  and  that  such  extravagance 
would  have  been  impossible  for  her. 

The  story  goes  (wrote  the  Paris  correspondent 
of  the  Manchester  "  Sunday  Chronicle  "  in  19 13) 
that  "  a  French  insurance  company,  learning  that 
the  Empress  Eugenie  was  in  bad  health  [which  was 
not  the  case],  wrote  to  her  suggesting  that  she 
should  sink  her  fortune  in  an  annuity,  which  was 
to  increase  in  a  certain  ratio  with  each  year  of  her 
life.  The  Empress  consented,  and  the  insurance 
company  rejoiced  at  the  bargain  it  had  struck, 
because  the  Empress  was  believed  to  be  at  death's 
door.  In  191 2  the  annuity,  which  had  started  at 
something  under  ;^  13,000,  had  reached  close  on 
;^  75,000." 

Whenever  possible,  whether  in  France  or  England, 
the  Empress  attends  the  anniversary  service  for  the 
Prince  Imperial  which  is  celebrated  on  the  ist  of 
June.     In  19 14  her  Majesty  was  travelling  in  Italy, 


364     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

visiting,  among  other  places,  Venice  and  Baveno, 
and  later  Madrid.  The  Paris  service  was  not  on 
the  I  St,  but  on  the  2nd  of  June,  at,  as  usual, 
the  Church  of  Saint  Augustin.  Mass  was  said  by 
the  Abbe  Landes,  and  the  absolution  given  by  the 
venerable  Abbe  Misset,  formerly  the  young  Prince's 
almoner.  Prince  Murat  represented  the  Bona- 
partist  Pretender,  who,  two  or  three  months  later,  was 
driven,  with  his  wife  and  two  children  (the  little 
boy  was  then  only  four  months  old),  from  Brussels 
by  the  invading  Huns  and  took  refuge  with  the 
Empress  at  Farnborough,  where  they  were  still 
staying  at  the  time  of  writing  (February,  19 16). 
Besides  Prince  Murat  there  were  present  at  Saint 
Augustin's  Prince  Michel  Murat  and  the  Duchesse 
de  Mouchy  (nee  Princesse  Anna  Murat)  and  many 
others;  while  ranged  in  the  choir  of  the  church 
were  delegations  of  the  Plebiscitary  Committees 
of  the  Seine  (Prince  Napoleon's  adherents),  with 
their  flags — so  tolerant  is  the  Republic,  our  cherished 
Ally.  M.  Franceschini  Pietri  (whose  death  is 
recorded  in  another  chapter)  was  also  among  the 
worshippers  on  this  occasion.  At  the  end  of  the 
service  the  organist,  M.  Gigout,  played  the  beautiful 
melody  named  by  the  composer  after  the  Prince 
Imperial. 

In  mid- January,  19 16,  one  or  other  of  her 
"  readers  " — Mme  d'Attainville,  the  Comtesse  Mora, 
or  (perhaps)  Miss  Vaughan — doubtless  told  the 
Empress  that  there  had  been  a  very  destructive 
fire  at  Bergen,  the  second  largest  town  in  Norway. 
Of  Bergen  her  Majesty  has  amusing  memories, 
for  that  port  was  the  scene  of  her  reception,  on 
board  her  yacht   Thistle,  of  the   "  Bloody  "   Kaiser. 


2  Q 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY    365 

The  date  was  Sunday,  July  27,  1907.  The  event  is 
fully  narrated,  in  the  words  of  one  of  the  Empress's 
guests  at  the  time,  in  my  Kaiser-Book,  *  and  I 
am  therefore  precluded  from  repeating  it  here. 
I  may  be  allowed,  however,  to  mention  that  one  of 
the  Empress's  party  at  the  time  was  the  only 
surviving  son  of  Prince  and  Princess  Christian  (the 
latter  being  a  devoted  friend  of  her  Imperial 
Majesty  for  forty-five  years) — the  same  Prince 
Albert  who,  as  a  Prussian  Hussar,  has  sworn  fealty 
to  William  the  Infamous  and  has  been  exhorting 
the  Hunnish  troops  under  his  command  to  make 
mincemeat  of  as  many  of  our  "  contemptible  little 
army  "  as  possible.  With  the  Empress  on  this 
occasion  was,  inter  alia,  the  Princesse  de  la  Moskowa 
(nee  Princesse  Eugenie  Bonaparte),  to  whom, 
during  the  Kaiser's  visit  to  the  Thistle,  this  Prince 
of  the  English  Blood  Royal  (King  George's  cousin) 
had  the  audacity  to  say :  "  I  am  not  a  German. 
I  was  born  at  Windsor,  and  my  mother  is 
English !  " 

Once,  in  a  moment  of  pique,  the  Empress, 
accompanied  by  only  one  lady,  came  to  England  and 
passed  several  weeks  in  the  winter  of  i860,  touring 
through  Scotland.  Learning  that  she  had  unex- 
pectedly arrived  in  London,  Queen  Victoria  invited 
her  to  Windsor  Castle.  The  event  is  thus  noted 
by  the  Duke  of  Cambridge  in  his  diary  t  : 

*"The  Public  and  Private  Life  of  Kaiser  William  II." 
London  :    Eveleigh  Nash.     1915- 

t  "  George,  Duke  of  Cambridge.  A  Memoir  of  his  Private 

Life."     Edited  by   Edgar  Sheppard,  C.V.O.,   D.D.,  Sub-Dean 

of  his  Majesty's  Chapels  Royal.  Two  vols.  Longmans, 
Green  &  Co.     1906. 


366     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

Windsor,  December  4,  i860. 
Attended  the  Queen  at  her  reception  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  who  came  for  luncheon  and  on  a  visit,  soon  after 
one  o'clock.  She  looked  changed  since  last  I  saw  her,  but 
not  ill,  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  the  term,  but  certainly 
much  depressed.  It  was  rather  a  painful  meeting,  when  one 
remembers  how  gay  and  hopeful  the  last  visit  was.  At  two 
we  lunched  as  usual,  and  at  three  she  returned  by  special 
train  to  London.  Albert  [the  Prince  Consort]  met  her  and 
took  her  back  to  the  station.  The  Queen  with  all  of  us 
received  her  at  the  entrance.  The  Emperor's  name  was  only 
mentioned  by  her  once.  She  had  with  her  Madame  de  Monte- 
bello  and  de  Sauley,  Monsieur  de  la  Grange  and  Colonel 
Fune. 

Nine  years  before  the  outbreak  of  the  World  War 
French  and  German  veterans  united  in  celebrating 
the  anniversaries  of  the  blood-month,  August, 
1870.  In  that  month  in  1905  this  extraordinary 
scene,  unparalleled  in  Franco-German  history,  was 
witnessed  in  two  or  three  places,  one  being  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Germanised  Metz;  and  it 
marked  a  rapprochement  which  came  only  after 
the  passing  of  nearly  four  decades.  Among  the 
celebrants,  these  wearing  the  Military  Medal,  those 
the  Iron  Cross,  some  had  fought  with  the  vanquished 
Emperor  Napoleon  III.  and  others  with  the 
victorious  King.  The  addresses  which  were  made 
on  both  sides  were  characterised  by  the  heartiest 
good  feeling  and  (as  I  believed  at  the  time) 
transparent  sincerity,  and  an  obvious  wish  to  "  bury 
the  hatchet."  The  pathetic  moment  came  with  the 
interlacing  of  the  French  and  German  flags,  and 
handshaking  all  round.  Among  those  who  took 
part  in  this  great  historical  scene  were  some,  of  both 
nationalities,    whose    memories    went    back    to    that 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY    367 

2nd  of  August  when  Frossard's  guns  on  the  heights 
overlooking  Saarbriicken  suddenly  opened  fire  on 
a  small  Prussian  force,  the  Emperor  and  the  boy- 
Prince  looking  on  as  the  wearers  of  the  spiked 
helmets  withdrew,  in  fairly  good  order,  but  beaten, 
because  vastly  outnumbered.  Others  recalled  Wis- 
semburg  (two  days  later),  which  the  Crown  Prince 
Frederic  attacked,  when  the  Prussians  captured 
the  Geissburg  and,  with  the  Bavarians,  took  the 
town. 

On  that  day  the  French  lost  the  first  of  their 
generals — Abel  Douay,  who  was  fatally  shot.  After 
another  two  days'  interval  came  Worth,  a  defeat 
which  spread  dismay  through  France,  for  MacMahon's 
army  was  pulverised  and  routed.  It  was  a  great 
victory,  but  purchased,  if  the  historians  are  correct, 
with  the  loss  of  489  German  officers  and  10,153 
men.  The  records  give  the  number  of  French 
killed  at  6000;  prisoners,  200  officers  and  9000 
soldiers.  Some  of  the  survivors  in  these  harmonious 
celebrations  must  also  have  recalled  Mars-la-Tour, 
when  20,000  French  and  German  dead  and  wounded 
lay  in  a  line  extending  over  six  miles !  Nor  could 
they  have  forgotten  the  bloody  fighting  at  Spicheren 
(Saarbriicken),  also  on  the  6th,  when  Frossard,  a 
man  of  capacity,  but  a  miscalculator,  was  routed, 
and  when  a  single  Prussian  division  lost  1800  killed 
and  wounded  in  the  storming  of  the  steep  heights  of 
Spicheren  and  Forbach.  On  the  i6th,  17th  and 
1 8th  came  the  holocaust  around  Gorze,  when 
the  Prussians  lost  in  killed  and  wounded  nearly 
50,000  and  the  French  more.  The  fighting  on 
those  three  never-to-be-forgotten  days  I  did  not 
witness,  but  I  was  at  Remilly,  in  the  region  of  Metz, 


368     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

when  the  trains  bearing  the  German  wounded  passed 
through  day  and  night.  As  the  month  of  blood 
drew  to  a  close  there  came  the  battle  of  Beaumont, 
where  the  Saxons,  60,000  of  them,  surprised  De 
Failly's  army  corps  as  they  were  cleaning  their 
rifles  and  cooking !  For  the  French,  August  ended 
badly,  with  Beaumont;  September  began  worse,  with 
Sedan. 

This  letter,  written  by  the  Empress  to  Abd-el- 
Kader,  first  saw  the  light  in  19 13,  in  M.  Jean 
Marsol's  work,  "  Djehal,"  a  psychological  study 
(histoire  Turque) : 

Chislehurst,  January  17,  1871. 
Emir,— 

In  the  midst  of  the  misfortunes  which  have  struck 
me,  the  AU-Powerful  has  accorded  me  consolation  for  so  many 
bitternesses. 

If  many  have  deserted  me,  there  are  some  who  retain 
memories  of  me.  The  token  of  sympathy  which  I  have 
received  from  you  has  deeply  touched  me.  God  has  struck 
me  by  the  hands  of  men.  I  bless  Him,  and  ask  Him  to  give 
me  the  strength  to  submit  to  His  will. 

I  thank  you  also  on  behalf  of  the  Emperor  and  my  son. 
Our   greatest   happiness    will   be    the   glory    of  France    and 
the  success  of  her  arms.     Believe  me,  etc., 

Eugenie. 

The  subjoined  letter  is  exceptionally  interesting 
as  for,  I  think,  the  first  time,  the  Empress  refers  to 
Prince  Napoleon's  adherents  (Plebiscitaires),  con- 
cerning whom  she  had  previously,  and  has  since, 
been  silent,  fearing  lest  she  might  unintentionally 
let  fall  a  word  or  two  displeasing  to  the  Government 
of  the  Republic,  with  which  she  has  remained  on 
the    best    terms    since    she    received    permission    a 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     369 

quarter  of  a  century  ago  to  have  a  permanent 
residence  in  France.  In  19 13  M.  Charles  Faure- 
Biguet  sent  the  Empress  a  copy  of  his  work  (written 
in  the  interests  of  the  present  Bonapartist  Pre- 
tender's Party),  "  Paroles  Plebiscitaires,"  with  a 
preface  from  the  eloquent  pen  of  M.  Frederic 
Masson,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  members 
of  the  Academic  Fran^aise.  The  late  M  Pietri 
wrote  to  the  author  as  follows  : — 


Farnborough  Hill,  Farnborough,  Hants, 
December  12,   1913. 
Sir, — 

I  have  received  your  letter,  and,  in  accordance  with 
your  wish,  have  communicated  its  contents  to  her  Majesty 
the  Empress,  and  called  her  attention  to  the  marked  pages 
in  the  book  which  you  have  sent. 

Her  Majesty  has  read  with  interest  your  "  Paroles 
Plebiscitaires "  and  directs  me  to  thank  you  for  having 
brought  to  light  so  many  things  and  souvenirs  which  are 
dear  to  her  and  for  putting  them  under  the  aegis  of  the 
little   Prince,   whose  memory  you   treasure   so  devotedly. 

Accept,  sir,  the  expression  of  my  most  distinguished 
sentiments.  Franceschini  Pietri. 

The  piquant  story  of  the  bust  of  the  Empress, 
which  forms  the  frontispiece  to  this  volume,  appearing 
for  the  first  time,  so  far  as  I  know,  in  any  English 
or  French  book,  may  be  briefly  told.  The  Emperor 
had  promised  the  eminent  sculptor,  Carpeaux,  in 
the  early  sixties,  that  the  Empress  should  give 
him  a  sitting  for  a  bust.  Her  Majesty  did  not 
favour  the  idea — flatly  declined,  in  fact,  to  pose. 
The  Emperor,  however,  invited  the  artist  to  spend  a 
week  at  Fontainebleau.  The  Empress  remained 
obdurate,   and  the   Emperor  politely  reminded   him 

2  A 


370     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

that  the  time  had  come  for  his  departure.  "  You 
will  have  to  leave  us  to-morrow  morning,  my  dear 
Carpeaux,"  said  his  Majesty  regretfully.  "  Not 
until  I  have  done  what  I  came  for,"  exclaimed 
Carpeaux,  who  hinted  that  the  Imperial  lady  had 
insulted  him  by  refusing  to  sit.  Napoleon  III. 
said  he  would  make  one  more  attempt  to  bring  his 
consort  to  reason,  and  he  did  so.  This  time  he 
was  successful :  the  Empress  consented  to  pose 
for  two  hours.  Carpeaux  was  a  quick  worker,  and 
soon  completed  the  clay  model,  which  was  then 
baked  and  finished.  He  took  it  to  the  Empress, 
anxious  for  her  opinion.  She  glanced  carelessly 
at  it,  merely  remarking  :  "  It's  certainly  fretty  \  " 
Almost  beside  himself  with  rage,  the  great  man 
took  the  bust  back  to  his  studio  and  flung  it  on  the 
floor,  with  the  result  that  it  was  cracked  and 
the  corners  were  chipped  off.  Long  afterwards 
the  bust  was  fished  out  of  a  dust-heap  by  one  of  the 
artist's  students,  who  kept  it  until  the  master's 
death.  In  19 13  all  the  remaining  works  of 
Carpeaux  were  sold  in  Paris — one  hundred  and 
sixteen  pieces  of  sculpture,  including  the  famous 
bust  of  the  Empress  which  now  adorns  this  volume. 

Comte  de  Maugny,  in  his  "  Cinquante  ans  de 
Souvenirs,"  *  relates  this  anecdote,  which,  he  says, 
is  worth  its  weight  in  gold:  "  In  1872  one  of 
my  friends,  a  diplomatist,  who  had  filled  a  high 
official  position  at  the  Court  of  Napoleon  III., 
had  an  audience  of  King  Victor  Emmanuel  at 
Turin.  The  King  was  eager  to  hear  the  latest 
news  of  the  Emperor  and  Empress.  '  Poor  people,' 
he  said,  '  I  pity  them  with  all  my  heart.  I  am 
*  Paris:    Plon-Nouritt.      191 4. 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     371 

the  more  grieved  at  their  misfortunes  because  I 
can  never  forget  all  that  the  Emperor  did  for  me.' 
Then,  after  a  pause,  and  with  a  smile,  he  added  : 
'  Besides,  what  has  happened  to  them  will  happen 
to  all  of  us  one  day  or  other.  For  myself  I  laugh 
at  it,  but  it  will  not  be  amusing  to  the  others.'  " 

The  Queen  of  Bulgaria  is  a  member  of  the  family 
of  the  writer  of  this  letter,  which  I  received  from 
Trebschen,  in  the  province  of  Brandenburg  : 

Let  me  thank  you  very  much  indeed  for  sending  me  your 
book  about  the  Court  of  Napoleon  III.  It  is  a  most  pathetic 
theme,  certainly,  and  one  of  the  most  curious  and  instructive 
in  history.  Every  detail,  therefore,  adding"  to  the  knowledge 
of  that  time  seems  full  of  interest.  I  feel  sure  that  your 
other  book  on  the  same  subject  [the  present  volume]  will  have 
an  equal  success  as  its  predecessors.  With  renewed  thanks, 
I  remain,  sincerely  yours,  Marie  Alexandrine,  Princess 
Heinrich  VII.  Reuss,  j.L.,  Princess  of  Saxe- Weimar, 
Duchess  of  Saxe. 

In  a  letter  to  me  from  her  French  home,  the 
Baronne  Ed.  de  George  des  Villates  (who  is  English- 
born)  pays  this  glowing  tribute  to  "  the  great  and 
noble  virtues  "  of  the  Empress  : 

I  have  been  deeply  interested  in  the  perusal  of  your  work 
concerning  the  Empress  Eugenie  and  that  sad  German-Franco 
war.  I  was  at  school  in  Paris  when  war  was  declared,  and 
remained  in  France  the  whole  time  it  continued  ;  not  in  Paris, 
it  is  true,  but  in  Richelieu,  where  the  lady  charged  with  my 
education  had  taken  me  with  other  young  ladies,  thinking 
the  war  would  be  of  short  duration.  When  it  was  over,  and 
it  was  considered  safe,  we  all  returned  to  Paris  ;  but  only  a 
week  or  so  afterwards  the  terrible  civil  war  broke  out.  This 
time  I  got  sent  back  to  England,  and  it  was  with  very  deep 
sorrow  I  left  the  dear  French  people,  in  whose  grief  I  had 
been  destined  to  participate  all  that  sad  long  time  of  the  war. 


Zr-     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

You  will  understand  now  how  vividly  the  reading  of  your 
book  has  renewed  all  the  sorrows  of  that  painful  period. 
Written,  as  it  is,  too,  by  a  gentleman  bearing  my  own  maiden 
name,  has  made  it  doubly  interesting  to  me.  You  have  cleared 
up  much  that  has  been  said  against  the  sweet,  beautiful 
Empress  Eugenie,  and  brought  to  light  all  her  great  and 
noble  virtues.  Poor  dear  Empress  !  I  shall  see  her  in  that 
land  where  we  all  hope  to  meet,  and  there  she  will  perhaps 
learn  how  closely  I  have  followed  her  in  all  her  sorrows,  and 
how  deeply  I  have  loved  her.  Soon  after  my  schooldays  I 
married  a  Frenchman,  and  here  I  have  been  ever  since  in  the 
home  my  beloved  husband  brought  me  to. 

Early  in  1851  the  "  Inverness  Courier  "  reported: 
"  A  fine  golden  eagle,  taken  in  Strathglas,  is  at 
present  at  Inverness,  with  a  view  to  its  being  sent  to 
Paris  as  a  gift  to  the  Emperor  of  France.  A  number 
of  rabbits  have  been  sent  as  food  for  the  eagle  during 
its  journey." 

"  Punch's  "  comment  on  this  may  amuse  the 
Empress  even  in  19 16.  "  It  is  very  charming  to 
know  that  Scotland  has  so  gracefully  renewed  her 
ancient  alliance  with  the  kingdom  of  France.  Can 
she  not  still  further  strengthen  it.'^  Napoleon  wants 
a  wife.  As  Scotland  has  sent  him  an  eagle,  can  she 
not  provide  him  with  a  dove — a  ringdove  ?  " 

From  "Punch,"  October  25,  1856:  "Sporting 
in  France. — Hunting  and  shooting  are  now  the  sports 
at  Compiegne.  The  Empress  has  already  distin- 
guished herself  as  a  shot.  Having  a  year  or  two  ago 
brought  down  an  Imperial  eagle  by  shooting  her 
eyes  at  him,  she  has  added  to  the  achievement  by 
bagging  nine  pheasants.  We  think  beauty  should 
leave  such  matters  to  the  beast.  We  like  to  think  of 
Venus  with  her  doves,  but  confess  we  should  not  care 
so  much  for  the  goddess  were  she  known  to  wring 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     z^-^ 

the  necks  of  the  birds  and  put  them,  feet  upwards, 
under  a  crust." 

The  same  journal,  September  lo,  1868 :  "  The 
'  Independance  Beige '  *  the  other  day  published 
a  statement  that  the  Prince  Imperial  had  lately  said  : 
'  When  I  am  Emperor  I  shall  not  allow  anyone  to 
be  without  religion.'  An  official  denial  of  this  was 
published,  concluding :  '  These  words  were  never 
made  use  of  by  the  Prince  Imperial,  who,  at  his 
present  age  [twelve]  would  not  think  of  interfering 
with  political  matters.'  "  This  was  headed  :  "  Second 
Thoughts  are  Best." 

In  mid-October,  19 15,  I  received  a  letter  from 
my  friend,  M.  Gerard  Harry,  the  well-known  author 
and  contributor  to  the  "  Temps  "  and  other  leading 
French  journals,  that  certain  Paris  papers  had 
published  statements  telegraphed  from  London 
reporting  the  Empress  to  be  in  an  alarming  condition. 
He  wished  me  to  "  interview"  Prince  Napoleon 
and  to  send  all  the  facts  relating  to  the  Imperial 
lady  to  him  (M.  Harry)  in  Paris.  In  view  of  the 
serious  news  from  London,  French  writers  were 
hastily  preparing  biographies  of  her  Majesty,  and 
my  assistance  in  this  direction  was  sought  by  my 
friend.  I  allayed  M.  Harry's  apprehensions  and 
sent  an  authoritative  denial  of  the  canard  to  a 
London  paper.  I  remembered  that  the  Brussels 
papers  had  been  similarly  deluded  in  November,  19 13, 
and  that  one  of  those  journals  had  prepared  a 
special  number  which  was  intended  to  be  issued 
at  a  moment's  notice  directly  the  news  of  the 
predicted  calamity  was  received  in  the  Belgian 
capital. 

*  Now  (191 5- 1 91 6)  published  in  London. 


374     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

In  the  previous  January  (19 13)  the  Empress  was 
suffering  from  a  cold  and  cough,  and  so  was 
prevented  from  attending  the  annual  service  for 
the  Emperor  on  the  gth  of  that  month;  she  was 
"  represented  "  at  St  Michael's  Abbey  Church  on 
that  occasion  by  Comte  Mora  and  the  late 
M.  Pietri.  For  some  days  she  was  confined  to 
the  house  and  her  doctor  was  in  daily  attendance. 
Never  was  her  marvellous  vitality  more  evidenced 
than  during  her  enforced  seclusion.  She  was  in 
the  best  spirits,  and  after  hearing  Mass  in  her 
Oratory  and  noticing  that  the  sun  was  shining  and 
that  the  birds  were  singing,  she  said  :  "  I  still  cough 
a  little,  but  what  a  temptation  to  go  out !  "  Three 
months  later  she  kept  her  eighty-seventh  birthday. 

The  servants  (the  Empress  never  uses  the  word 
"  domestics  ")  at  Farnborough  Hill  are  of  various 
nationalities.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  three 
of  them — two  footmen  and  the  second  cook —  hastened 
to  join  their  comrades  in  the  French  army,  and 
up  to  March,  19 16,  had  not  been  replaced.  The 
first  cook  and  her  Majesty's  two  maids  are  French. 
There  are  two  footmen — one  a  Dane,  the  other 
a  Swiss.  The  silver  articles  in  use  are  in  charge  of 
a  Belgian  youth.  The  other  "  serviteurs  "  (this 
is  her  Majesty's  word)  are  all  English.  Besides 
those  enumerated,  several  persons  are  employed 
by  the  Empress  solely  to  look  after  the  wounded  and 
invalided  officers  whom  she  has  received  in  her 
sanatorium.  They  are  fortunate  in  being  so 
luxuriously  housed  and  in  having  an  Empress  as 
hostess. 

In  February,  19 16,  news  reached  the  Benedictines 
at  Farnborough  of  the  fate  of  one  of  their  number 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     375 

who  had  joined  the  French  army  a  year  previously. 
Frere  Savignac  was  a  choir  postulant  who  had 
received  the  habit  at  Farnborough  on  February  2, 
19 1 5,  and  on  the  i8th  of  that  month  he  was  killed 
in  action,  at  the  head  of  his  men.  His  body  was  not 
discovered  until  November.  He  was  a  lieutenant 
in  the  59th  Infantry  Regiment,  and  during  his 
fortnight's  service  had  been  wounded  when  entraining 
his  men  and  was  accorded  the  War  Cross,  with 
special  mention  in  orders.  On  the  anniversary  of 
his  death  (February  18,  19 16),  there  was  a  solemn 
Requiem  Mass  and  absolution  at  St  Michael's  Abbey. 
The  Empress  Eugenie  had  hoped  to  assist  at  the 
service,  but  the  bad  weather  prevented  her  from 
leaving  the  house,  and  she  was  represented  by 
Mme  d'Attainville.  All  the  circumstances  of  this 
young  man's  death  contributed  to  make  this  Requiem 
Mass  impressive  and  sadly  picturesque.  At  each 
corner  of  the  catafalque  was  a  French  flag — the 
colours  of  Lieutenant  Savignac.  Around  were 
grouped  the  French  Consul  at  Southampton,  M.  Bar- 
thelemy;  the  parish  priests  of  Farnborough  and 
Woking,  the  Lady  Superior  of  "  Hillside  "  Convent 
(now  removed  to  Sycamore  House  owing  to  recent 
Governmental  requirements)  and  several  of  the  nuns, 
Mme  d'Attainville,  wounded  or  invalided  soldiers, 
local  residents  and  the  members  of  the  Benedictine 
community. 

In  March  the  Farnborough  Benedictines  were 
agreeably  surprised  by  the  publication  in  the  "  Sunday 
Herald  "  of  portraits  of  several  members  of  their 
community,  including  the  Rev.  Pere  Gougaud,  who 
in  March,  19 16,  was  still  a  prisoner  of  the  Huns. 
This    talented    young    Father    was   depicted    in    his 


376     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

sergeant's  uniform  and  also  in  the  "  habit  "  of 
the  Order.  The  Sunday  sermons  throughout  Lent 
(19 1 6)  at  the  French  church  in  Leicester  Square 
were  preached  to  large  congregations  by  another 
member  of  the  same  community,  the  Rev.  Pere 
Bauzin. 

At  the  time  this  work  was  printed  (March,  19 16) 
the  Empress  had  not  appointed  a  new  secretary. 
Possibly  (but  this  is  unofficial)  Comte  Mora  will 
replace  the  deeply-regretted  M.  Pietri. 

The  Empress,  my  younger  readers  may  be 
reminded,  was  born  at  Granada,  Spain,  on  May  5, 
1826,  and  was  married  at  Notre  Dame  on  January 
30,  1853,  two  months  after  her  consort  had  been 
proclaimed  Emperor  (December  2,  1852).  The 
"  civil  "  marriage  took  place  at  the  Tuileries  the 
evening  before  the  religious  ceremony.  There  was 
no  coronation.  The  Emperor  was  born  in  Paris 
on  April  20,  1808,  reigned  eighteen  years  (1852-1870), 
and  died  at  Camden  Place,  Chislehurst,  on  January 
9,  1873,  aged  sixty-four  years  and  nine  months. 
The  Prince  Imperial,  their  only  child,  was  born 
at  the  Tuileries  on  March  16,  1856,  three  years 
after  his  parents'  marriage.  He  died  in  Zululand  on 
June  I,  1879,  aged  twenty-three  years  and  ten  weeks. 
The  Empress  arrived  in  England,  landing  at  Ryde, 
on  September  8,  1870,  and  resided  at  Chislehurst 
until  the  autumn  of  1880,  when  she  removed  to 
Farnborough  Hill,  near  Aldershot.  She  will  be 
ninety  on  May  5,  1916.  The  Empress's  genealogy 
is  detailed  in  another  chapter,  and  is  as  accurate 
as,  with  the  aid  of  others,  I  have  found  it  possible  to 
make  it. 

The    Empress    passes    most    of    her    time    in    a 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     7,^^ 

spacious  sitting-room  on  the  ground  floor.  She 
sleeps  on  the  second  floor,  above  which  is  her 
Oratory,  with  its  roof  of  pitch  pine.  There  is 
space  in  this  little  chapel  for  about  thirty  persons, 
but  as  a  rule  the  worshippers  do  not  exceed  ten  or 
twelve.  When  she  is  in  residence  here,  as  she 
has  been  since  July,  19 14,  the  eve  of  the  war, 
low  Mass  is  celebrated  every  Sunday  morning  at 
ten  o'clock  by  one  of  the  Benedictine  Peres  from 
St  Michael's  Abbey,  who  is  attended  by  a  "  server  " 
(a  Frere).  There  is  no  music  at  such  a  service 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  nor  is  there  any  instrument 
in  the  Oratory.  The  little  bell  which  is  rung  by 
the  "  server  "  at  the  supreme  moment  has  engraved 
upon  it  "  Chapelle  des  Tuileries  " — a  relic  brought 
to  England  by  her  Majesty  when  she  fled  from 
the  Palace  on  Sunday,  September  4,  1870,  three 
days  after  the  battle  of  Sedan,  the  disaster  which 
led  to  the  overthrow  of  the  Imperial  Dynasty. 

At  St  Michael's  Church  there  are  two  confessional 
boxes — at  the  Oratory  there  is  one,  which  is 
portable.  The  Empress  sits,  or  kneels  at  her 
prie-Dieu,  between  Prince  and  Princess  Napoleon. 
Above  the  holy-water  stoup  is  a  card  with  the 
printed  inscription,  in  French  :  "  Pray  for  the  repose 
of  the  soul  of  his  late  Majesty  King  Edward  VII., 
the  Peacemaker,"  with  the  date  of  his  death  (May 
6,  19 10).  On  the  wall,  at  the  entrance,  is  a  large 
framed  picture  showing  a  Red  Cross  ambulance 
about  to  receive  the  body  of  the  Prince  Imperial 
and  convey  it  to  Pietermaritzburg  for  official 
identification.  The  Stations  of  the  Cross  on  the 
walls  are  of  plaster  (those  at  St  Michael's  are  of 
painted  copper).     In  a  small  sacristy  are  the  priest's 


378     EMPRESS  EUGENIE  AND  HER  SON 

vestments.  The  Empress  confesses  twice  a  year, 
on  Christmas  Day  and  on  the  Festival  of  the 
Assumption,  August  15,  which  during  the  Empire 
was  the  fete  of  the  year. 

The  Empress  attended  Mass  in  her  Oratory  on 
Christmas  Day,  19 15,  and  on  the  3rd  of  January, 
1916,  she  motored  to  St  Michael's  to  assist  at 
the  monthly  service  which  she  instituted  (in  19 14) 
for  all  soldiers  killed  in  the  war.  A  week  later 
(Monday,  January  10 — the  9th,  the  date  of  the 
Emperor's  death,  falling  on  a  Sunday)  she  was  present 
at  St  Michael's  at  the  annual  service  for  Napoleon 
III.  There  were  two  Masses — a  "  High  "  one 
in  the  church  and  a  "  Low  "  one  in  the  crypt, 
the  Imperial  Mausoleum.  The  Empress  attended 
the  latter,  at  which  the  celebrant  was  the  Rev. 
Pere  Bauzin.  With  her  were  Prince  and  Princess 
Napoleon,  Comte  Mora,  M.  and  Mme  d'Attainville, 
and  a  few  others,  including  three  of  the  officers 
(two  on  crutches)  who  at  the  time  were  being  tended 
in  the  Empress's  sanatorium  at  her  residence.  These 
invalids  were  taken  to  and  fro  in  her  Majesty's 
own  car.  The  celebrant  of  Mass  in  the  church 
above  was  the  Rev.  Pere  Eudine;  the  deacon,  Pere 
Stewart;  the  sub-deacon,  Pere  Cluzel;  and  the 
master  of  ceremonies,  Pere  Gilbert.  After  the 
High  Mass  all  these,  and  all  the  monks,  descended 
to  the  crypt,  where  the  absolution  was  given  by 
Pere  Eudine.  This  scene  in  the  crypt  which  wt; 
witnessed  was  tinged  with  pathos :  the  Empress 
kneeling  at  the  Emperor's  tomb  of  red  granite,  the 
gift  of  Queen  Victoria;  Prince  and  Princess 
Napoleon  by  her  side;  the  Benedictines  in  their 
habits,  the  sparse  congregation  in  black,  the  crucifer 


EMPRESS,  HER  SON  AND  FAMILY     379 

with  the  large  cross  and  the  small  crucifix  at  its 
summit,  the  thurifers,  the  priest-celebrants  and  their 
attendants.  My  gaze  is  fixed  on  the  bowed  figure 
at  Caesar's  tomb,  widowed  these  three  and  forty 
years  and  verging  on  ninety.  But  memory  takes 
me  back  to  that  9th  of  January  at  Camden  Place, 
when  these  words  came  from  the  lips  of  Franceschini 
Pietri :  "  The  Emperor  is  dead.  There  is  nothing 
more  to  say."  And  Pietri  himself  now  sleeps  under 
the  turf  outside  the  crypt.  I  had  seen  the  Sovereign 
and  his  son  borne  into  the  little  church  at  Chisle- 
hurst;  seen  the  Secretary  laid  to  rest  in  the  monks' 
cemetery,  where  there  are  no  tombstones,  only 
graves,  long  grass  and  laurels.  In  the  crypt  She 
casts  more  than  one  glance  at  the  Arcosolium,  her  own 
chosen  place  of  sepulture.  With  smiles  and  bows 
she  departs — 

No  longer  caring  to  embalm 

In  dying  songs  a  dead  regret, 

But  like  a  statue  solid-set 
And  moulded  in  colossal  calm. 

Regret  is  dead,  but  love  is  more 

Than  in  the  summers  that  are  flown, 
For  I  myself  with  these  have  grown 

To  something  greater  than  before. 


INDEX 


Abd-el-Kader,  368 
Adelaide,  Queen  of  Austria,  329 
Agar.  Mile,  254,  255,  256 
Ajalbert,  Jean,  116 
Albe,  Due  d',  19,  106,  114 
Albe,  Duchesse  d',  19,  21 
Alexander  II.,  Emperor,  261,  268 
Alexandra,  Queen,  18,  20,  29,  108, 

158,  159.  269 
Alfonso  XII.  of  Spain,  102,  109 
Alfonso  XIII.,  King,  19,  102,  104, 

269,  273 
Amadeus,  King,  104 
Amb^s,  Baron  d',  311,  312,  313,  314 
Angely,  Comte  Davilliers  Regnaud 

de  Saint  Jean  d',  267 
Antoinette,  Marie,  25,  130 
Aoste,   Dowager    Duchess  d',   327, 

329.  330.  332 
Arcos,   Christine  Vaughan  de,   29, 

33,  34,  41,  114 
Arcos,  Don  Domingo  de,  29 
AttainvUle,  Madame  d',  375,  378 
Aubert,  Francis,  76 
Augusta,  Queen,  177 
Austria,  Emperor  of,  27,  274 
Avignon,  Archbishop  of,  75 


BalliAre,  M.,  146 

Barthelemy,  M.,  375 

Bartolini,  M.,  67 

Bassano,  Due  de,  40,  220,  222,  259, 

322,  332 
Bassano,  Marquis  de,  335 
Bastien,  M.,  146 
Bastille,  the,  23 
Battenberg,    Prince    Maurice,    157, 

160 
Battenberg,    Princess    Henry,    29, 

31.  33.  108,  157,  158,  159,  318 
Baynes,  Captain,  iii 
Bazaine,  Marshal,  25,  96,  97,  164, 

169,  182,  186,  306,  307,  308,  309, 

310 


Bazaine-Hayter,  General,  25 
Beaconsfield,  Lord,  323 
Beauhamais,  Marquis  Fran9ois  de, 

313 
Benedetti,  Count,  80,  81,  83,  98 
Bernhardt,    Madame    Sarah,    253, 

254,  255,  256,  257,  258 
BernstorS,  Count,  239 
Berri,  Due  de,  56 
Bierce,  Ambrose,  338 
Bismarck,   61,   80,   81,   83,   89,   90, 

162,  164,  168,  169,  195,  227,  229, 

238,  239,  279 
Blanc,  Fran9ois,  328 
Blowitz,  de,  253 
Bocher,  Charles,  263 
Bonaparte,  Cardinal,  63,  66 

Clovis,  302 

Jerome,  314 

Prince  Charles,  220,  260,  261 

Prince  Louis  Lucien,  63,  220, 

299.  302,  303 

Prince  Roland,  327,  330 

Princess  Christine,  260 

Bonnal,  231 

Borthwick,  Algernon,  161 

Bourbaki,  General,  163 

Boyen,  General  von,  173,  174,  175, 

176 
Boyer,  General,  163,  164,  169 
Brassey,  Lady,  253 
BrogUe,  Due  de,  260,  330 
Brown,    J.    (Prince   Imperial's 

groom),  225 
Burgoyne,  Sir  John,  17,  321 


Cabrol,  Dom  F.,  139 
Cadorna,  General,  329 
Calmette,  M.  Gaston,  326 
Cambac6r6s,  Comte  de,  63 
Cambridge,  Duke  of,  49,  197,  212, 

214,  216,  257,  365 
Campile,      Madame      Gavini      de, 

267 
Canrobert,  Marshal,  182,  273,  307, 

308,  309,  310 

380 


INDEX 


381 


Carey,  Lientenant,  214 
Carlyle,  Thomas,  23 
Carpeaux,  M.,  369 
Cassagnac,  Granier  de,  82,  236 
Castelnau,  General,   175,  177,    178, 

182,  346 
Castle- Vecchio,     Frangois    Louise, 

312 
Chambord,  Comte  de,  22 
Chambrier,  James  de,  231,  239 
Chapelle,  Comte  de  la,  271 
Charette,  General  de,  270 
Charles  II.,  King,  109 
Chelmsford,  Lord,  207,  212,  214 
Christian,  Princess,  108,  159 
Christine,  Infante,  109 
Claretie,  Jules,  144,  184 
Clagny,  Gauthier  de,  331 
Clary,  Comte,  273 

Comtesse,  272 

Clementine,  Princess,  20 
Clotilde,  Princess  of  Savoy,  329 
CoeU,  Duchess  de  Medina,  319 
ConegUano,  Due  de,  44,  270 

Duchesse  de,  27,  272 

Connaught,  Duke  of,  27 
Conneau,  Dr,  222 
Conti,  M.,  42,  264 
Comu,  Madame,  264,  265 
Corvisart,  Doctor,  221,  311,  312 
Cousin,  Victor,  198 
Cowley,  Lady,  195 
Crawford,  Mrs,  361 


Darboy,  Monsignor,  237 

Darimon,  Alfred,  232 

Daudet  .Lucien  Alphonse,  1 13-134 

David,  J6r6me,  82,  236 

Davilliers,  Count,  175,  220 

Delafosse,  M.  Jules,  276 

Deleage,  M.,  59,  223,  224 

Dilke,  Sir  Charles,  353 

Dion,  Marquis  de,  286 

Doche,  Madame,  241,  242,  243,  244 

Douay,  General  Abel,  367 

Drumont,  Edouard,  100 

Ducrot,  General,  263 

Duff,  Grant,  198 

Duperre,  Admiral,  220,  270 

Duvernois,  C16ment,  236 


Edgar,  Professor,  150,  151 
Edinburgh,  Duke  of,  27 


Edward  VII.,  King,  19,  27,  28,  56, 
108,  157-159,  221,  254,  257,  268, 

324.  377 
Emmanuel,  King  Victor,  370 
Engleheart,  Gardner,  339 
Escurial,  the,  108 
Espab^,  M.  d',  346 
Espeuilles,  General  de  Viel  d',  271 
Evans,  Thomas  W.,  217,  220,  221, 

229,  321,  335,  336 


Falli^res,  Armand,  8 

Fane,      Rt.      Hon.      Sir     Spencer 

Ponsonby,  340 
Fardet,  Antoine,  272 
Fauconnidre,  Dugue  de  la,  236 
Faure-Biguet,  Charles,  369 
Favre,  Jules,  79,  84 
Febvre,  Frederic,  257,  258,  324 
Fete  Nationale,  22 
FeuiUant,  Xavier,  269 
Filon,  Augustin,  45,  58 
Fitzjames,  Dona  Sol  Stuart,  107 
Fitzmaurice,  Lord  Edmond,  "  Life 

of  Lord  Granville,"  193,  194,  197 
Flahault,  Comte  de,  311 
Fleury,  Comte,  49,  272 
Fleury,  General,  217,  221,  254 
Fleury,  Vicomtesse  Adrien,  272 
Forbes,   Archibald,   191,  219,  224, 

227 
Fortoul,  Madame,  270 
French,  Lord,  97 
Frere,  Sir  Bartle,  212 
Frossard,  Generail,  97,  98,  367 


Gabrielli,  Princess,  63 

Galliffet,  General  the  Marquis,  269 

Gambetta,  79,  354 

Gannal,  Doctor,  224 

Genlis,  Madame  de  Waubert  de,  272 

George  V.,  King,  18,  20,  28,  108, 
319 

Gillois,  Madame,  347 

Gladstone,  157,  197,  198,  253,  304 

Glenesk,  Lord,  161,  267 

Goddard,  Monsignor,  45,  46,  49,  62, 
63,  64,  65,  76,  III,  112,  137,  192, 
219,  220,  225,  267,  302,  355 

Goiran,  General,  186 

Gorce,  Pierre  de  la,  231,  232 

Got,  M.,  324 


382 


INDEX 


Gougaud,  Rev.  Pere,  375 
Gramont,  Due  de,  80,  81,  82,  83,  84, 

85,  88,  89,  232,  233,  236 
Granville,  Lord,  157,  193,  194,  195, 

236, 253 
Gravidre,  Admiral  Jurien  de  la,  262 
Grevy,  President,  27 
Gronow,  Captain,  340 
Grousset,  Paschal,  146 
Guerard,  Madame,  254 


H 


Harry,  Gerard,  373 

Hepp,  Commandant,  175,  182 

Herisson,  Comte  d',   59,  215,  218, 

219,  220,  221,  222 
Hesse,  Andre,  186 
Hohenlohe,  Prince  Clovis  Von,  98, 

238,  239 
Home,  Daniel  Dunglass,  194 
Hortense,  Queen,  42,  43,  116,  263, 

264,  311,  312,  313 
Houssaye,  Henry,  99 
Hugo,  Victor,  271 
Huillier,  Madam  Henriette  L',  135- 

141 


Isabella,  Queen  of  Spain,  143,  144 
J 

J  ARRAS,    309 

Jerrold,  Blanchard,  228,  229,  230, 

265 
Joffre,  General,  97 
Josephine,  Empress,  124,  130,  313, 

314 
Jourde,  M.,  146 

K 

KiRKPATRiCK  family,  the,  151,  152, 

153.  154.  155.  156 
Knollys,  Lord,  158 
Knollys,  Miss  Charlotte,  158 


LAFERRlftRE,  ComtC  dc,  254 

Laffitte,  M.,  189,  191 

Lambert,  Baron  Tristan,  24,  45,  57 

Lano,  M.  Pierre  de,  218,  219 

Launay,  De,  23 

Law,  Captain  David,  146 


Leboeuf,   Marshal,  85,  96,  97,  182, 

233. 290, 306,  309 
Leopold,  Prince,  80,  82,  84,  230,  236 
Lesseps,  Captain  Ismail  de,  273 

Count  Ferdinand  de,  273 

Lintorn-Simmons,    Sir    John,    227, 

228 
Lipton,  Sir  Thomas,  40,  106 
Lockroy,  Edouard,  271 
Lomas,    J.    (Prince   Imperial's 

groom),  221,223,  225 
Longman,  Thomas,  228 
Loubet,  Emile,  28 
Louis  XVI.,  King,  24 
Louis,  King  of  Holland,  311,  312, 

313 
Lynar,  Prince,  174,  175 
Lyons,  Lord,  230,  236 
Lytton,  Lady  Bulwer,  343 


M 


MacMahon,  Marshal,  23,  26,  60,  78, 

97,  182,  237,  367 
Malmesbury,  Lord,  240 
Manning,  Cardinal,  54 
Mary  Christine,  Queen  of  Spain,  105 

Princess,  18 

Queen,  18,  319 

Massa,  Marquis  de,  270 
Masson,  Frederic,  312,  313,  369 
Mathilde,  Princesse,   184,  270 
Maugny,  Comte  de,  370 
Maupas,  de,  42 
Maximilian,  King,  268 
Mercedes,  Queen,  109 
Mermillod,  Monsignor,  75 
Metternich,    Princesse   Pauline   de, 

27 
Mill,  John  Stuart,  339 
Miramon,  Marquis  de,  273 
Misset,  Abbe,  45,  342,  364 
Mocquard,  42,  43,  143,  270 
Moltke,  26,  61,  97,  168,  186 
Montebello,  Comte  Jean  Lannes  de, 

273 
Montgomery,  De  (family),  244 
Montijo,  Count  Jose  de,  358 

Comtesse  de,  102 

Francisca  de,  106 

Monts,   General  Count  von,   46,  47, 

172,  174,  175,  176,  178,  180,  183, 

184,  335 
Moore,  Alf.  S.,  155 
Mora,  Comte  de,  354,  374,  376,  378 

Comtesse  de,  342 

Morley,  Lord,  197,  198 


INDEX 


383 


Momy,  Due  de.  43,  143,  311 
Moskowa,  General  Prince  de  la,  175 

Princesse  de  la,  365 

Mouchy,  Due  de,  221,  268 

Duchesse  de,  21,  27,  113,  196, 

316,  364 
Prince,  46,  178,  182-220,  260, 

286,  364 
Murat,  Prince  Michel,  364 
Princesse  Anna  (see  Mouchy, 

Duchesse  de) 


N 


Napoleon  I.,  124,  136,  190,  266, 
276,  282,  291,  299,  303,  311 

III.,  27,  42,  43,  46,  47.  78,  79, 

80,  82,  III,  125,  135,  139.  143. 
144,  172,  174,  175,  182,  183,  184, 
185,  186,  190,  193,  194.  195.  197. 
198,  200,  229,  230,  231,  232,  233, 
234,  235,  238,  255,  256,  261,  265, 
276,  280,  282,  285,  287,  296,  306, 
311,  312,  313,  316,  322,  340,  345, 

355.  370.  378 
— —  Prince  Louis,  241,  242,  244, 

327.  329 
Victor,  18,  20,  39,  91,  112,  275, 

281,  283,  284,  319,  327,  328,  329. 

332.  333.  377-378 
Princess,  18,  20,  21,  40,  319, 

342,  377.  378 
Neville,  Lady  William,  107 
Nicholas,  Grand  Duke,  179 
Niel,  Marshal,  97 
Noailles,  Mile  Sabine  de,  268 
Normand,  Jacques,  257 
Northcote,  Sir  Stafiord,  199 


O 


Ollivier,  M.  Emile,  25,  61,  77,  78, 
80,  81,  82,  98,  186,  231,  236,  270, 
272 
Orange,  Prince  of,  254 
Orleans,  Due  d',  24,  55,  329 
Omano,  G.  Cuneo  d',  277 
Oscar,  I^ng  of  Sweden,  268 


Pain,  Ollivier,  146 

Palikao,  General  de,  26,  61,  78,  79, 

80 
Paris,  Comte  de,  22 
P6doya,  General,  186,  187 
Pembroke,  Lord,  241,  242 
Penaranda,  Due  de,  19 


Pietri,  Jean  Baptiste  Franceschini, 

35.  38.  40.  41.  42.  43.  44.  45.  46, 

47,  48,  92,   124,    150,   175,  221. 

296.  316,  319,  355.  364.  369.  374. 

379 
Pinard,  M.  Ernest,  271 
Pius  IX.,  Pope,  54 
Plummer,  John,  336,  337,  338 
Poincare,  Raymond,  28 
Potx,  Prince  and  Due,  268 
PoUet,  Madame.,  266 
Poniatowski,  Prince  Stanislas,  261, 

262 
Ponsonby,  Sir  Henry,  194 
Porto-Carrero,  Jean  de,  149 
Portsmouth,  Lord,  321 
Pourtalds,    Comtesse   Edmond    de, 

263,  270 
PrimoU,  Comte,  63 
Prince    Imperial,  the,    18,  24,   35, 

44,   49,  50.  51.    56,   57.  61    (his 

death),    102,   125,  135,    138,  198, 

200,  201,  202,  212-225,  230,  255, 

256,259,299,  355 
Prince  of  Wales,  18,  319 


Q 


Qu6renet,  M.  Rene,  275,  276,  281, 
283 


R 


Raimbeaux,  M.,  261,  262 

Madame  Firmin,  270 

Redesdale,  Lord,  322 

Reinach,  Salomon,  266 

Renan,  Ernest,  265,  266 

Renier,  Leon,  265 

Reuss,  Prince  Henri  de,  297 

Ricci,  Seymour  de,  266 

Rivoli,  Due  de,  270 

Robertson,  Dr,  223 

Rochefort,    Henri,     142,    146,    148, 

235.  271,  337 
Romilly,  Lord,  302 
Rothschild,  Baroness  Alphonse  de, 

270 
Rouher,  M.,  198,  217,  220.  221,  264 
Rousset,  Lieut.-Col.,  333 
Rouvier,  M.,  293 
Rudelle,  M.,  275,  283,  284 


Santora,  Duque  de,  107 
Savignac,  Frdre,  375 


384 


INDEX 


Scott,  Dr,  223 
Schaeffer,  Mile,  243 
Senior,  Mr  Nassau,  265 
Sheppard,  Rev.  Canon  Edgar,  213 
Shorter,  Clement,  338 
Sims,  George  R.,  339,  358 
Smith,  J.  W.  Gilbart,  245 
SoleiUe,  309 

Sophie,  Queen  of  Holland,  254 
Spain,  Queen  of,  32,  104,  105,  273 
Stephens,   Henry  Pottinger,   147 
Stofifel,  Colonel,  92,  263 
Strode,  N.W.,  334 
Sutherland-Gower,    Lord     Ronald, 
107 


Tammanus,  Marquise  de,  319 
Teck,  Prince  Francis,  160 
Thierry,  Martin,  287 

Pierre,  287,  288,  293,  294 

Thiers,  Adolphe,  27,  77,  78,  79,  84 

Thiery,  Jean,  291 

Toledo,  General  Ferdinand  Alvarez 

de,  106 
Trelawny,  Mrs,  188 
Trochu,  General,  78,  79,  80,  97,  98 
Truffier,  Jules,  257,  258 
Turenne,  Louis  de,  220 
Tiirr,  General,  267 


U 

Uhlmann,  M.,  45,  220,  221 
Unwin,  T.  Fisher,  154 


Vaillant,  Marshal,  290 

Vambery,  Arminius,  44 

Vandam,  234 

Vasili,  Count  Paul,  342 

Vaughan,  Mrs,  341 

Victoria,  Princess,  18 

Victoria,   Queen,  27,    29,   107,    137, 

143,   158,  198,  201,  213,  233,  236, 

244,  257,  355,  365,  378 
Villates,    Baronne    Ed.    de    George 

des,  371 


W 

Walewski,  Comte,  266 
Wallace,  Sir  Richard,  234 
Welschinger,  Henri,  87,  88,  89,  235, 

237 
WilhelmshShe,  Chateau  of,  173,  174, 
William     I.,     King,      Emperor     of 

Germany,  38,  61,  80,  81,  98,  169, 

196,  236,  238 
William  II.  (the  Kaiser),  228 
Winterhalter,   113 
Wolff,  Sir  Henry  Drummond,    303, 

304.  344 
Wood,  Sir  Evelyn,  259 
Wyse-Bonaparte,  Princess  Adelaide, 

267 


Young,  Filson,  348 


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